FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Sept. 12, 2011

New movie “Contagion” illustrates importance of public health

With the release of the movie Contagion last Friday, area health departments express concerns about decreases in federal and state funding for programs that protect against public health emergencies and disasters.

Health departments maintain emergency plans for dealing with public health threats and work with community partners and other federal, state and local agencies to protect the public from situations like those mentioned in the movie. Departments and partners regularly test capabilities and work to improve their capability to respond to emergencies.

“Though our knowledge base and preparedness plans are vastly improved from where they stood just ten years ago, public health and emergency preparedness agencies today face challenges due to decreased federal and state funding and staffing cuts,” said Dr. Rex Archer, director of the City of Kansas City, Mo., Health Department.

“Most people with a healthy immune system recover without any medical treatment,” said Larry Jones, director of the City of Independence Health Department. “Some people with weakened immune systems may be prescribed a treatment for the infection. However, the treatment is not effective for everyone, so it is better to prevent the initial infection.”

Serious, deadly contagious disease outbreaks can and do happen. While new diseases can threaten the United States, many disease outbreaks are from long known and controlled diseases that reemerge, some on a very regular basis.

Public health funding has been cut significantly over the past two years, resulting in an ongoing decrease in the number of public health preparedness personnel, such as disease investigators, at all levels of government. The loss of trained personnel decreases the ability of public health to respond in wide-spread emergency situations.

To help address this, area health departments and hospitals recruit volunteers from around the metro to assist with emergency preparedness efforts, ranging from extreme situations like those described in this movie to more typical activities like back to school immunization clinics, community preparedness trainings or influenza vaccination clinics.

While this movie is designed to entertain and is not a documentary, we understand that much of it is quite credible. Scriptwriters did consult with scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and some of the scenes were filmed at CDC headquarters, though CDC does not endorse or promote any commercial products, including movies.

In a recent letter, Dr. Judith Monroe, deputy director of the CDC, stated in reference to the plot of the movie, “Not only could it happen, CDC scientists are working 24/7 to find out if it’s happening right now.”

Though local health departments are regularly working with state health departments and the CDC to control the spread of diseases, you can protect yourself and those around you from most diseases by regularly washing your hands thoroughly with soap, staying home from work or school and seeking appropriate medical attention when you are sick, being prepared for emergencies and contacting elected officials to support funding for these programs.

For information on how you can become a volunteer or be prepared for emergencies, contact your local health department.

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