The CDC’s Solve The Outbreak App

 

  

# 6918

 

The disease detectives at the CDC are the investigators at the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS).  EIS officers conduct epidemiologic investigations, research, and public health surveillance both in the United States and around the world.

 

Maryn McKenna’s 2004 book, Beating Back The Devil, provided a fascinating inside look at their operations, and is well worth digging up a copy.

 

A couple of days ago the CDC released an iPad app called Solve the Outbreak which lets you take on the role of a an EIS trainee, and conduct your own disease outbreak investigations.

 

Do you want to be a disease detective?

This application will allow you to interact with and solve a disease outbreak. You will think like an officer in the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS). Each outbreak will include a series of clues that will ask you to guess the cause of the outbreak along the way, earning points for each answer. At the end of the outbreak, you will be awarded a badge based on your efforts: Trainee, Apprentice, Investigator, and the highest award, Disease Detective. The app provides a game-like interface and works to incorporate tips and definitions along the way, to make learning about epidemiology fun. Outbreaks may be fictional or based of a real event that CDC employees have worked on.

Check out these fun features:

• Learn more about the work CDC does.
• Solve mysterious outbreaks the EIS way.
• Increase your knowledge of diseases and outbreaks.
• A fun interactive way to learn about epidemiology.
• Share your success at solving outbreaks on Facebook or Twitter.
• Review data and epi-curves outlining how the outbreak spread.
• Work quickly and save lives.

Download it free today

 

 

I downloaded this app yesterday and spent a few minutes with it this morning, running through the first outbreak scenario (three are included).

 

While game play is limited (I ran thru the first scenario - undoubtedly the easiest - in about 10 minutes), this app does a nice job of illustrating the thought processes and epidemiological techniques used in outbreak investigations. 

 

There are short tutorials included, a glossary, and links to additional information available online from the CDC.

 

All of which makes this both a fun and educational app for anyone with an interest in epidemiology. Its biggest shortcoming is only having three outbreak puzzles to solve, but perhaps if it proves a popular download, they’ll release an update with more.

 

NOTE: Upon further review (I finished all three scenarios) the app indicates that additional outbreaks will be released.

Resolve To Be Ready: 2013

 

 

# 6806

 

Despite some of the negative images that `doomsday survivalist’ type TV shows have fostered, Ready.gov, FEMA, the HHS, and the CDC all promote the idea that everyone should be prepared to deal with a variety of emergencies and disasters.

 

They know that every year tens of thousands of people across the nation are forced to deal with house fires, floods, severe storms, and medical emergencies. And the potential exists for even larger disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and even a pandemic. 

 

Being better prepared - as an individual, family, and community - can save lives and reduce misery.

 

With the start of a new year, many of us will be making New Year’s resolutions – which makes this the perfect time to join FEMA & Ready.gov’s  Resolve to Be Ready in 2013 campaign.

 

 

This year, with the rapid proliferation of `smart phones’ & tablets, the focus is on incorporating these technologies into preparedness.

 

Resolve to be Ready

Led by FEMA's Ready campaign in partnership with Citizen Corps and the Ad Council, this year's emphasis includes integrating technology into individuals, families and businesses preparedness plans. A 2012 Nielson report revealed that nearly 55 percent of mobile phone owners in the United States own smartphones. As a simple resolution, Ready is asking all smartphone owners to turn the technology in their purses and pockets into a life-saving tool during and after an emergency or disaster.

 

Below are additional ways the Ready campaign recommends implementing technology into your emergency plans:

• Learn how to send updates via text and internet from your mobile phone to your contacts and social channels in case voice communications are not available;
• Store your important documents such as personal and financial records in the cloud, in a secure and remote area, or on a flash or jump drive that you can keep readily available so they can be accessed from anywhere; and
• Create an Emergency Information Document by using Ready's Family Emergency Plan template in Google Docs (use Google Chrome to view) or by downloading the Ready Family Emergency Plan to record your emergency plans.
• Download the Resolve 2B Ready 2013 Toolkit for tips and actions you can take.

A good starting place is FEMA’s App – available for Android, Blackberry, & Apple - which they describe as:

Government disaster response at the touch of a button. Learn how to respond to disasters, keep your family safe, apply for assistance, and help others in case of floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorism, or other disasters. We continue to add new relevant information, in both English and Spanish, working to ensure that Americans have easy access to the tools they need to prepare for and, when needed, recover from a disaster in their community. Future enhancements include the ability to check on the status of an application and update an existing application.

 

In October I highlighted some of the smart phone apps available from the American Red Cross (see Red Cross Apps). They include:

Wildfire App

First Aid App

Hurricane App

Shelter Finder App

Earthquake App

 

To become better prepared as an individual, family, business owner, or community requires more than just downloading an app, so I would invite you visit the following preparedness sites to learn the basics.

 

FEMA http://www.fema.gov/index.shtm

READY.GOV http://www.ready.gov/

AMERICAN RED CROSS http://www.redcross.org/

 

And finally, some of my own preparedness articles may be of interest:

 

When 72 Hours Isn’t Enough

In An Emergency, Who Has Your Back?

An Appropriate Level Of Preparedness

The Gift of Preparedness 2012