Category Archives: Infectious Disease

Informing Life’s Decision Makers

Brenna Burke describes herself on her blog: I’m the mama of three, trying my best to live a green life, pursue greater health and well-being for my family and the planet, and teach my children well enough so that they will all grow up successfully and leave me… I am passionate about children’s and environmental health. I do my best to pursue the best decisions for my family based on the latest, evidence-based research and watch out for when I get up on my soapbox. I’ve followed Brenna on Twitter for quite some time now. If you look at her blog, you can see she’s like many online moms: smart, creative, and fiercely loyal to her kids. She tries very hard to live by the values she holds dear. So I definitely took notice when she had this to say.

Posted on Monday, September 24th, 2012 By HealthScope
Also posted in Chronic Disease, Nutrition | Tagged Brenna Burke, digital revolution, Emily Willigham, mommy blog, science, science communication, ScienceOnline | 1 Comment

Pharmacies Have Potential to Increase Adult Vaccine Immunizations

While we have gotten better at inoculating our kids from vaccine-preventable disease (rates for most of the long-standing recommended vaccines have increased to 90 percent or higher), we still have a ways to go when it comes to adult immunizations. Pneumococcal vaccination coverage, for example, among high-risk adults is just 18.5 percent overall, according to the CDC. One viable strategy on the table for increasing adult vaccination rates is offering immunizations at neighborhood pharmacies.

Posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012 By Chrystine Zacherau
Catogories Infectious Disease | Tagged adult vaccine, APCO Insight, CDC, immunizations, vaccine | Leave a comment

Thank You, Nurses!

In celebration of National Nurses Week, we here at APCO gathered a few stories about our favorite nurses. As it turns out, many of them happened to be our mothers. Join us in celebrating the amazing men and women on the front lines of medicine by sharing your own memories in the Comments section below. My [...]

Posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2012 By HealthScope
Also posted in Chronic Disease, Health Policy, Nutrition | Leave a comment

When to Panic About a Pandemic?

Erica DeWald is an associate director in APCO's Washington, D.C., office specializing in vaccines and communicating complex scientific issues. “It’s a bird!” “It’s a plane!” “No, it’s bird flu on a plane!”It just wouldn’t be flu season without a panic about a pandemic, would it? The fuss usually kicks up around September and, depending on the [...]

Posted on Wednesday, April 11th, 2012 By Erica DeWald
Catogories Infectious Disease | Tagged bird flu, influenza, public health | 1 Comment

Welcome to HealthScope!

I am pleased to kick off HealthScope, an APCO Worldwide online forum on leading health issues around the globe. Our writers are experts from diverse backgrounds and include former Capitol Hill staff, HHS and FDA officials, executives from the health care industry, reporters, and policy analysts. Our goal is to post meaningful discussions on issues of interest in health care and offer critical insight.

Posted on Monday, April 9th, 2012 By Robert Schooling
Also posted in Chronic Disease, Health Policy, Nutrition | Tagged blog launch, healthscope | Leave a comment

Finding Shared Value in the Fight Against Non Communicable Diseases

The international community gathers for the United Nations High-Level Meeting (UN HLM) on Non Communicable Disease (NCDs) this week in New York. Many are optimistic that the UN HLM will intensify focus within the international community on NCDs and solidify the link between NCDs and economic growth. The UN HLM has the potential to be the beginning of a global drive against NCDs. But this global drive must positively engage all sectors of society for it to be successful. On September 14, 2011, The Washington Post and Eli Lilly and Company hosted a one-day event, “Sharing the Responsibility: Noncommunicable Diseases.” The event brought together leaders from the health care industry, government, academia and NGOs to discuss the challenges of managing NCDs in advance of the UN HLM. Panelists discussed best practices, the role of private-public partnerships and looked at next steps in the fight against NCDs.