How Prepared Is Your State for an Outbreak?
By Katie Fogleman, January 11, 2016
-->According to a leading voice in public health, the answer to that question is “not as prepared as it should be,” no matter where you live. And some states are significantly less prepared than others.
A recent report—issued by our partners at Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation—found that US states are not prepared to prevent, diagnose, and respond to disease outbreaks. That means if an outbreak did hit, the damage would be enormous—both in medical costs and lives lost.
Check out the map below to see how your state scored (scores are out of 10, so the higher the number, the better).
Also according to experts at TFAH, overuse of antibiotics and underuse of vaccinations in the US make it increasingly likely that an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, whooping cough, or tuberculosis, for example, might happen in your state.
So what can states do to prepare? According to the report, they should decrease antibiotic use, increase vaccination rates, and invest more in disease prevention.
When it comes to keeping residents safe and healthy, being even the slightest bit unprepared just won’t cut it.
Read the report or check out articles from ABC News or US News and World Report to learn more, and head over to TFAH’s website to take action.
