Last data update: Jan 27, 2025. (Total: 48650 publications since 2009)
Records 1-7 (of 7 Records) |
Query Trace: McCurley C[original query] |
---|
Radon outreach: Helping people see an invisible risk
Lutfy C , Salame-Alfie A , McCurley MC . J Environ Health 2023 85 (6) 30-33 Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking. Lung cancer deaths attributable to radon are preventable through testing and mitigation. Yet there is a lack of awareness and understanding about radon, its risks, and how to prevent radon-associated lung cancer. This month’s column highlights some of the activities the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working on to help build awareness and understanding, and to encourage preventative actions among the general public, as well as clinicians. |
US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention experience in the joint external evaluation process - radiation emergencies technical area
Whitcomb RC Jr , Ansari AJ , Salame-Alfie A , McCurley MC , Buzzell J , Chang A , Jones RL . Radiat Prot Dosimetry 2018 182 (1) 9-13 In 2015-16, the US Department of Health and Human Services led 23 US Government (USG) agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and more than 120 subject matter experts in conducting an in-depth review of the US core public health capacities and evaluation of the country's compliance with the International Health Regulations using the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) methodology. This two-part process began with a detailed 'self-assessment' followed by a comprehensive independent, external evaluation conducted by 15 foreign assessors. In the Radiation Emergencies Technical Area, on a scale from 1-lowest to 5-highest, the assessors concurred with the USG self-assessed score of 3 in both of the relevant indicators. The report identified five priority actions recommended to improve the USG capacity to handle large-scale radiation emergencies. CDC is working to implement a post-JEE roadmap to address these priority actions in partnership with national and international partners. |
A Zika vaccine targeting NS1 protein protects immunocompetent adult mice in a lethal challenge model
Brault AC , Domi A , McDonald EM , Talmi-Frank D , McCurley N , Basu R , Robinson HL , Hellerstein M , Duggal NK , Bowen RA , Guirakhoo F . Sci Rep 2017 7 (1) 14769 Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that has rapidly extended its geographic range around the world. Its association with abnormal fetal brain development, sexual transmission, and lack of a preventive vaccine have constituted a global health concern. Designing a safe and effective vaccine requires significant caution due to overlapping geographical distribution of ZIKV with dengue virus (DENV) and other flaviviruses, possibly resulting in more severe disease manifestations in flavivirus immune vaccinees such as Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE, a phenomenon involved in pathogenesis of DENV, and a risk associated with ZIKV vaccines using the envelope proteins as immunogens). Here, we describe the development of an alternative vaccine strategy encompassing the expression of ZIKV non-structural-1 (NS1) protein from a clinically proven safe, Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vector, thus averting the potential risk of ADE associated with structural protein-based ZIKV vaccines. A single intramuscular immunization of immunocompetent mice with the MVA-ZIKV-NS1 vaccine candidate provided robust humoral and cellular responses, and afforded 100% protection against a lethal intracerebral dose of ZIKV (strain MR766). This is the first report of (i) a ZIKV vaccine based on the NS1 protein and (ii) single dose protection against ZIKV using an immunocompetent lethal mouse challenge model. |
A public health perspective on the U.S. response to the Fukushima radiological emergency
Whitcomb RC Jr , Ansari AJ , Buzzell JJ , McCurley MC , Miller CW , Smith JM , Evans DL . Health Phys 2015 108 (3) 357-63 On 11 March 2011, northern Japan was struck by first a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the eastern coast and then by an ensuing tsunami. At the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), these twin disasters initiated a cascade of events that led to radionuclide releases. Radioactive material from Japan was subsequently transported to locations around the globe, including the U.S. The levels of radioactive material that arrived in the U.S. were never large enough to cause health effects, but the presence of this material in the environment was enough to require a response from the public health community. Events during the response illustrated some U.S. preparedness challenges that previously had been anticipated and others that were newly identified. Some of these challenges include the following: (1) Capacity, including radiation health experts, for monitoring potentially exposed people for radioactive contamination are limited and may not be adequate at the time of a large-scale radiological incident; (2) there is no public health authority to detain people contaminated with radioactive materials; (3) public health and medical capacities for response to radiation emergencies are limited; (4) public health communications regarding radiation emergencies can be improved to enhance public health response; (5) national and international exposure standards for radiation measurements (and units) and protective action guides lack uniformity; (6) access to radiation emergency monitoring data can be limited; and (7) the Strategic National Stockpile may not be currently prepared to meet the public health need for KI in the case of a surge in demand from a large-scale radiation emergency. Members of the public health community can draw on this experience to improve public health preparedness. |
Murder by radiation poisoning: implications for public health
Miller CW , Whitcomb RC , Ansari A , McCurley C , Nemhauser JB , Jones R . J Environ Health 2012 74 (10) 8-13 On November 23, 2006, former Russian military intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko died in a London hospital. Authorities determined he was deliberately poisoned with the radionuclide Polonium-210 (210Po). Police subsequently discovered that those involved in this crime had--apparently inadvertently--spread 210Po over many locations in London. The United Kingdom Health Protection Agency (HPA) contacted many persons who might have been exposed to 210Po and provided voluntary urine testing. Some of those identified as potentially exposed were U.S. citizens, whom the HPA requested that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assist in contacting. CDC also provided health care professionals and state and local public health officials with guidance as to how they might respond should a Litvinenko-like incident occur in the U.S. This guidance has resulted in the identification of a number of lessons that can be useful to public health and medical authorities in planning for radiological incidents. Eight such lessons are discussed in this article. |
Federal interagency communication strategies for addressing radiation emergencies and other public health crises
Miller CW , McCurley MC . Health Phys 2011 101 (5) 559-61 Federal agencies have a variety of roles and responsibilities related to communicating with the public before, during, and after a radiological emergency. To better understand the various efforts currently underway, the Radiation Studies Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened a roundtable of representatives from federal agencies with responsibility for communicating with the public about radiation emergencies. Roundtable participants shared valuable information about efforts underway to develop information and messages for a variety of audiences and agreed that continued interagency coordination and dialogue about communication before, during, and after an event are needed. The group suggested several strategies for future collaborative efforts and indicated a desire to continue working together to develop and assess messages for radiological emergency preparedness and response. The group also recommended that more work be done to determine whether messages need to be packaged or tailored for specific special populations and suggested that more research be conducted to answer questions about specific audience/cultural needs around communicating radiation risks. Since this roundtable, attendees have continued to work together to develop and test messages for the public. |
Medical toxicology and public health: update on research and activities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry : introduction to activities at the Radiation Studies Branch
Kazzi ZN , Nemhauser JB , Ansari A , McCurley C , Whitcomb R , Miller C . J Med Toxicol 2010 6 (2) 230-3 The Radiation Studies Branch (RSB) was formed in 1989 | as part of the Division of Environmental Hazards and | Health Effects in the Centers for Disease Control and | Prevention’s National Center for Environmental Health | (NCEH) [Fig. 1]. At that time, branch staff focused | primarily on assessing the potential environmental health | effect of radiation released from Department of Energy | Nuclear Weapons Production Facilities. After the events of | September 11, 2001, however, the RSB assumed additional | responsibilities in public health preparedness. This effort is | largely directed toward preparing the nation’s public health | community, healthcare providers, and citizens for various | scenarios. These include intentional (i.e., terrorism-related) | radiological incidents, accidents involving radiation exposure, and unintentional environmental releases of radioactive materials. |
- Page last reviewed:Feb 1, 2024
- Page last updated:Jan 27, 2025
- Content source:
- Powered by CDC PHGKB Infrastructure