Skip to page content

Epidemic

Global Health
commentary
Can the U.S. Afford to Reduce Global Public Health Funding?
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Feb 8, 2018
The Hill
The United States may be preparing to downsize funding for global epidemic prevention. Without renewed funding, the long-term outlook could include an increased likelihood of global disease outbreaks.
Read More »

Haiti
commentary
Cholera in Haiti: No Surprise This Time Around
Melinda Moore
Oct 27, 2016
Inside Sources
When Hurricane Matthew swept across Haiti, it left a resurgence of cholera in its wake. Tackling cholera head-on should be on the short list of health priorities for disaster relief in the island nation.
Read More »
Public Health Preparedness
commentary
How to Handle the Infectious Diseases Threat
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Jun 3, 2016
CNN
The reactive approach to emerging infectious disease should be augmented with an anticipatory model that accounts for the dramatic changes occurring through globalization, greater interactions between human and zoonotic populations, and changes to the environment and climate patterns.
Read More »
Public Health Preparedness
commentary
As Ebola Declines, Lessons Emerge
Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich
May 7, 2015
The RAND Blog
Lessons learned through the analysis of this most recent Ebola outbreak as well as other disease outbreaks can have far-reaching consequences, helping authorities to both improve the continuing, ongoing response and plan for the best possible response to future threats.
Read More »
Epidemic
commentary
How the Public Perceives Ebola Risk in the United States
Katherine Grace Carman @KGCarman, Michael Pollard, Andrew M. Parker
Mar 30, 2015
The RAND Blog
The Ebola outbreak in Africa and the cases in the United States weighed heavily on the minds of policymakers and the public. While the Ebola threat was (and is) certainly real, many Americans greatly overestimated their chances of contracting the deadly disease.
Read More »
Infectious Diseases
commentary
The Disneyland Measles Outbreak: 'Anti-Vaxxers' Aren't the Only Issue
Jodi L. Liu @jodilliu, Jeanne S. Ringel @JeanneRingel
Mar 17, 2015
The Press-Enterprise
The recent measles outbreak that began in Disneyland is the latest reminder that Americans have ceded ground in the fight against the potentially deadly disease. So-called 'anti-vaxxer' parents have received a lot of attention following the outbreak, but they may comprise less of the population than you think.
Read More »
Epidemic
q&a
Your Questions on Ebola, Answered
Oct 21, 2014
Melinda Moore, a RAND public health physician and senior researcher, hosted an 'Ask Me Anything' session on Reddit to answer questions about Ebola, including whether a U.S. travel ban would help prevent the spread of the deadly disease.
Read More »
Emergency Services and Response
commentary
Declaring War on Ebola
Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin
Oct 10, 2014
Modern Healthcare
Operation United Assistance, which includes the deployment of 3,000 U.S. military personnel to West Africa to respond to the Ebola crisis, is a welcome recognition of the range of missions the military is increasingly able to tackle, particularly in disaster-management assistance.
Read More »
Global Health
commentary
Ebola Outbreak: Putting the Public Back in Public Health
Melinda Moore
Oct 9, 2014
The Hill
Medical and public health systems are crucial to controlling the transmission of Ebola and treating patients. But the public's role in becoming aware and engaged, both in West Africa and the United States, cannot be overstated.
Read More »
Intelligence Collection
commentary
The Faceless National Security Threat
Peter Chalk
Sep 10, 2014
U.S. News & World Report
The rapid, uncontrolled spread of aggressive diseases such as Ebola is often a matter of national security. U.S. intelligence professionals must establish relevant information collection and dissemination mechanisms to deal with such contingencies.
Read More »
Epidemic
commentary
Six Takeaways from the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
Jeanne S. Ringel @JeanneRingel, Peter Chalk
Aug 8, 2014
The RAND Blog
No amount of research can save those who've already perished from Ebola in West Africa, but our capacity to learn from such tragedies is a silver lining that has historically enhanced global resilience to disease. With that in mind, here are six key lessons from the outbreak.
Read More »
Epidemiology
commentary
An Outbreak of Outbreaks
Melinda Moore, Andrew M. Parker, Courtney A. Gidengil
Jun 11, 2014
The Health Care Blog
Lately, stories about outbreaks seem to be spreading faster than the diseases themselves. An outbreak of measles in Ohio is just part of an 18-year high of U.S. cases. Meanwhile, polio continues to circulate in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria, while spreading to other countries, like Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Syria.
Read More »
Public Health Preparedness
commentary
Tuberculosis Outbreak in LA Reminds Us of Importance of 'Bread and Butter' Public Health Capabilities
Shoshana R. Shelton
Mar 12, 2013
The RAND Blog
In this fiscally uncertain climate, we should continue to leverage the dual-use benefit of bioterrorism investments by building and maintaining those routine (but essential) public health capabilities that can also be used in response to a variety of public health emergencies.
Read More »
Public Health Preparedness
commentary
Heed Film Lessons on Outbreak
Arthur L. Kellermann, Melinda Moore
Dec 29, 2011
Atlanta Journal Constitution
To assure the health security of the United States, we must be capable of stopping anything a terrorist or Mother Nature might throw at us. Wholesale cuts to public health are taking us farther from that goal, write Art Kellermann and Melinda Moore.
Read More »
Public Health Preparedness
commentary
Swine Flu: A Real Security Threat
Melinda Moore
Apr 30, 2009
Baltimore Sun
In the rush of constant news updates on swine flu, we must recognize that controlling the spread of this disease is not simply a health concern but also one of national security. And in today's globalized world, the spread of swine flu has become not just a U.S. national security threat but every country's national security threat, writes Melinda Moore.
Read More »
commentary
A Desired Epidemic: Obesity and the Food Industry
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Feb 21, 2007
Washingtonpost.com
Published commentary by RAND staff: A Desired Epidemic: Obesity and the Food Industry, in Washingtonpost.com.
Read More »
commentary
China: Pitfalls on Path of Continued Growth
Charles Wolf, Jr.
Jun 1, 2003
Los Angeles Times
commentaries by RAND Staff: insightful commentaries on current events, published in newspapers, magazines and journals worldwide.
Read More »