Preparedness and Response

Skill targeted: Implementing Action Plans

Emergency situations can happen with little to no notice. The timeliness of the response can often determine the extent of long-term damage and the spread of disease. At CDC, public health experts prepare for a variety of emergencies, including outbreaks and pandemics, natural disasters and severe weather, and more. To plan for emergencies, disease detectives use data and models to predict what may happen in the future. This allows CDC to write guidelines and to respond quickly when called to assist with a state or national emergency.

In this section, students will learn how to create action plans and use them in an emergency situation.

Students will learn how to:

• Analyze emergency response plans and construct models
• Identify algorithms and prioritize action sequences
• Design assessments to study effectiveness of interventions
• Provide evidence for prevention-based planning

Activities

• Masters of Disaster [PDF – 35 pages]
• Making Room: The Public Health Response to Unaccompanied Minors Crossing the U.S. Borders [PDF – 28 pages]
• Have You “Herd”? Modeling Influenza’s Spread [PDF – 46 pages]
• Seasonal Flu Costs How Much? [PDF – 47 pages]