Public health laboratories must be ready to respond to the predicted increase in storm frequency and intensity and the aftermath, including water contamination and the spread of vector-borne disease.
Laboratories will press on with testing services in the wake of natural disasters. They may require support themselves to continue with normal activities, such as newborn screening.
Public Health and Climate Change
From the halls of Congress to your dinner table, the topic of climate change has been much debated over the past several years. Even the skeptics acknowledge the reality of global warming and agree that one thing is certain: the Earth’s climate affects public health. Some of the latest examples include devastating hurricanes in the Gulf Coast, wildfires in the West, droughts across the country and monsoons in South Asia. Weather stories dominate the news and along with these disasters come a public health crisis.