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ASSOCIATIONS
ASSOCIATIONS
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Alma mater
Monash University, BS (2006), LL.B. (2009)
Scientific career
Fields : Health Security, International Law
Institutions : Georgetown University (2014 – Present)
Doctoral advisor : [Lawrence Oglethorpe Gostin (born 1949)]
Alexandra Phelan is a faculty member of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University School of Medicine and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Georgetown University. She specializes in legal and policy issues that are related to emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, as well as health threats posed by climate change.
Education and early career
Education and early career
Phelan attended Eltham College before attending Monash University in Melbourne, Australia where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences in 2006 and her Bachelor of Laws degree in 2009, focusing on human rights and health security.[1] There, she published an honors thesis entitled Implementing Australia's health security legislation: international obligations, validity and human rights, which examined Australia's implementation of the 2005 International Health Regulations.[2]
For her graduate work, Phelan attended The Australian National University, where she received her Master of Laws degree in 2013, specializing in international law and global health security.[3] During that time, she also worked as a solicitor at the Supreme Court of Victoria and High Court of Australia, since she was admitted in 2010. In 2013, she moved to the United States to attend Georgetown University Law Center, where she completed her Doctorate of Law (S.J.D.) degree in 2019 under the mentorship of legal scholar Lawrence O. Gostin. Her doctoral work investigated how international law can facilitate response to and prevention of infectious diseases.
Research and career
Research and career
Phelan joined the faculty at Georgetown University as a member of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University School of Medicine, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. There, she continues her research on legal and policy issues surrounding infectious diseases around the world, which have included Ebola, Zika, and now SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus). Her research also factors in concerns around human rights in approaches to deal with disease containment and mitigation. For example, she was critical of a rule proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2016 that would expand its powers to screen, test, and quarantine people traveling in the United States during a disease outbreak.[4] Instead, she proposed adding in basic due process steps to ensure the proper checks and balances that would respect civil liberties.
She currently serves on the National Academy of Sciences Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases, which is currently advising the government on the rapidly developing science and policy issues around the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] She is also a consultant for the World Health Organization and the World Bank Group and was formerly a consultant for GAVI.[6]
Work on the Ebola epidemic
Phelan was involved with the public health response that took place during the Western African Ebola virus epidemic, as well as with subsequent outbreaks of Ebola in Africa, consulting for both the World Health Organization and affected countries.[7] During the initial outbreak, she co-authored a recommendation to the United Nations, advocating for the need for a Security Council Resolution to ensure peace and security in light of the epidemic, noting the disease could exacerbate political unrest in affected countries.[8] She later authored a legal analysis of the United States response to the epidemic, offering legal solutions to gaps in pandemic preparedness.[9] In February 2019, she and her colleagues called for the WHO to declare the epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in order to galvanize the international community to provide political, financial, and technical support to prevent the disease from spreading further.[10][11] The WHO ultimately made the declaration in July 2019, several months after the initial call to action.[12]
Work on COVID-19
Phelan has been monitoring the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic since the disease began to emerge in Wuhan in late 2019. In late January 2020, she advocated that the WHO should declare the novel coronavirus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) as a signal to the international community to launch a coordinated public health response.[13][14]
Phelan has also been critical of reports that Chinese officials cordon sanitaire in the Hubei Province, forcing the quarantine of those in the region.[13][15] She notes that the Liberian government's forced quarantine of 60 to 120 thousand people in West Point, Monrovia during the 2014 Ebola outbreak led to violence and public mistrust that exacerbated the spread of the virus.[14] The lockdown may have also limited access to medical supplies and overburdened hospitals during a critical time, so Phelan has also advocated for an investigation into the impact of the forced lockdown.[16] Phelan has asserted that cultivating public trust, while also preserving human rights, is essential for combatting the growing crisis. She also cautioned the United States against initiating a travel ban on people from countries affected by the novel coronavirus, as bans can break international trust.[17]
As the crisis has grown, Phelan and her colleagues have developed a set of recommendations for ensuring COVID-19 control measures are both equitable and inclusive to respect the needs of vulnerable populations, both in terms of increasing access to testing and treatment, as well as access to reliable and timely information.[18] They argue that failure to take such an approach will undermine response efforts to the pandemic, eroding trust among these marginalized communities and frontline healthcare workers.
Key publications
"Covid-19: control measures must be equitable and inclusive." BMJ 2020; 368 doi:10.1136/bmj.m1141
"The novel coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China: challenges for global health governance." JAMA 2020;323(8):709-710. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.1097
"The Ebola Epidemic: A public health emergency." JAMA 2014;312(11):1095-1096. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.11176
Awards and honors
Awards and honors
Top 100 Women of Influence, The Australian Financial Review, 2019[19]
Emerging Leader in Biosecurity, Center for Health Security, 2015[20]
Associate Fellow, Royal Commonwealth Society, 2015
References
References
- ^ "Human rights on agenda". www.heraldsun.com.au. 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- ^ Phelan, Alexandra Louise (2009). Implementing Australia's health security legislation : international obligations, validity and human rights(Thesis thesis).
- ^ Andrianatos, Veronica (2018-08-17). "Using International Law to prevent Ebola and Zika outbreaks". ANU College of Law. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- ^ Yong, Ed (2016-12-30). "The CDC's New Quarantine Rule Could Violate Civil Liberties". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- ^ "Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats". www.nationalacademies.org. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- ^ "WHO | Update and summary guide to the report: Advancing the Right to Health – The Vital Role of Law". WHO. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- ^ Segal, Jillian; Landsberg, Judith (2016-08-24). "The Grattan Institute is wrong. We need more science students, not fewer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- ^ King, Tim (2014-09-18). "O'Neill Institute Statement on the United Nations Security Council Resolution on the Ebola Outbreak | O'Neill Institute". oneill.law.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- ^ "The Ebola Sentinel: a legal analysis of US pandemic preparedness". Ebola's message : public health and medicine in the twenty-first century. Evans, Nicholas G., 1985-, Smith, Tara C., 1976-, Majumder, Maimuna S. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. 2016. pp. 111–126. ISBN 978-0-262-33619-2. OCLC 960448151.
- ^ Gostin, Lawrence; Phelan, Alexandra; Coutinho, Alex Godwin; Eccleston-Turner, Mark; Erondu, Ngozi; Filani, Oyebanji; Inglesby, Tom; Katz, Rebecca; Maleche, Allan; Nuzzo, Jennifer B.; Tomori, Oyewale (2019-02-16). "Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: time to sound a global alert?". The Lancet. 393 (10172): 617–620. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30243-0. ISSN 0140-6736. PMID 30732850.
- ^ Gulland, Anne (2019-06-26). "Long-running Ebola outbreak is now an international health emergency, say experts". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- ^ "WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo a global health emergency". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- a b CohenJan. 22, Jon; 2020; Pm, 5:45 (2020-01-22). "WHO panel puts off decision on whether to sound alarm on rapid spread of new virus". Science | AAAS. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- a b Phelan, Alexandra L.; Katz, Rebecca; Gostin, Lawrence O. (2020-02-25). "The Novel Coronavirus Originating in Wuhan, China: Challenges for Global Health Governance". JAMA. 323 (8): 709–710. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.1097. ISSN 0098-7484. PMID 31999307.
- ^ Fifield, Anna; Hawkins, Derek; Taylor, Adam; Wan, William (2020-02-18). "Director of Wuhan hospital dies of coronavirus as death toll passes 2,000 in China". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- ^ Rauhala, Emily; Wan, William; Shih, Gerry (2020-03-11). "First, China. Then, Italy. What the U.S. can learn from extreme coronavirus lockdowns". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- ^ Yong, Ed (2020-02-03). "The New Coronavirus Is a Truly Modern Epidemic". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- ^ "COVID-19: Scientists urge 'equitable and inclusive' response". www.medicalnewstoday.com. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- ^ "2019 Women of Influence are champions of reinvention". Australian Financial Review. 2019-09-09. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- ^ Security, UPMC Center for Health. "UPMC Center for Health Security Announces 2015 Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
EVIDENCE TIMELINE
EVIDENCE TIMELINE
2019 (July 18)
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2020 (Jan 24)
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2020 (Feb 05)
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2020 (Feb 15)
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2020 (March 15)
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2021 (march 22)
https://www.contagionlive.com/view/contagion-connect-podcast-tackles-pandemic-bonds
Contagion® Connect Podcast Tackles Pandemic Bonds
Contagion® Connect Podcast Tackles Pandemic Bonds
August 21, 2019
The first Contagion® Connect podcast features a conversation with Dr. Alexandra Phelan about the impact of pandemic bonds in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
Alexandra Louise Phelan
Alexandra Louise Phelan
Name : Alexandra Louise Phelan
Marriage License Date : 10 Mar 2017
Marriage License Place : Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Spouse : Kane Daniel Wishart
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OMG on CSPAN !
Alexandra Phelan
On the C-SPAN Networks:
Alexandra Phelan is an Adjunct Professor for Global Health Law Program in the Georgetown University Law Center with one video in the C-SPAN Video Library; the first appearance was a 2016 Call-In.
Appearances by Title:c. August 1, 2014 - PresentAdjunct Professor, Global Health Law Program, Georgetown University Law Center
RECENT APPEARANCES
RECENT APPEARANCES
FEBRUARY 13, 2016
National and International Response to Zika Virus
Alexandra Phelan talked about federal and international public health efforts to contain the Zika virus outbreak. A video clip was shown…
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05
Alexandra Phelan: Future-proofing global health: Governance of priorities
Alexandra Phelan: Future-proofing global health: Governance of priorities
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Alexandra Phelan will speak about "Future-proofing global health: Governance of priorities"
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Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87349271139 | Meeting ID: 873 4927 1139
Alexandra Phelan: Future-proofing global health: Governance of priorities
Abstract: to be confirmed.
About the speaker:
Dr. Alexandra Phelan is a member of the Center for Global Health Science and Security and an Assistant Professor on the tenure track in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Georgetown University. She also holds an appointment as Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Dr. Phelan works on legal and policy issues related to infectious diseases, with a particular focus on emerging and reemerging infectious disease outbreaks and international law. She holds an Doctorate of Law from Georgetown University, an LL.M. from the Australian National University, a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Monash University.
The Legal Priorities Lab is a series of informal, weekly online meetings in which we discuss the ongoing research of our members and invited related academics. Meetings are generally open to the public. More information about the Legal Priorities Project: www.legalpriorities.org.
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Date and time
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Fri, November 5, 2021
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
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Kane Wishart (He/Him)
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Associate | Intellectual Property | Technology Transactions | Life Sciences
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Highlights
About
About
Kane is an Intellectual Property Attorney living and working in New York City. Kane is currently admitted to practice in both the State of New York and in Australia.
Kane specializes in advising clients across all kinds of intellectual property transactions, ranging from licensing and collaboration agreements, M&A diligence and transaction documents, asset sales, refinancing agreements, and IP assignments.
Kane has a broad background advising clients across both contentious and transactional Intellectual Property matters (with a specific focus on IT, energy and life science clients). Kane has previously advised U.S.-based and international clients on IP aspects of major merger and asset carve-out transactions, IP cross-licensing and collaboration arrangements, and IP due diligence. Kane has also previously advised both government and private sector clients in Australia on matters ranging from the conduct of major ICT procurement tenders and post-tender contracts, to pharmaceutical patent infringement and invalidity disputes in the Federal Court of Australia.
Kane holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, allowing him insight into the technical aspects of client's work in the life science sector, while also allowing Kane to quickly build a rapport with and an appreciation for the work of both engineers and scientists working across a range of emerging technology industries.
Kane's experience includes advising on issues of: Licensing and Intellectual Property Management; Complex Contracting; IP aspects of Mergers and Acquisitions; Patent Portfolio Analysis and Licensing; Patent advice and Patent Litigation; Collaboration Agreements; Commercialization, Distribution and Supply Agreements; Technology Transactions; Australian Privacy law and Secrecy law; Corporate Compliance; Australian Government Procurement (including the design and implementation of approaches to market and formal tender processes); and general IP commercialization advice.
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Activity
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Experience
Experience
Kane is an Associate with the Weil Technology and Intellectual Property Transactions team, operating out of New York City.
Kane is admitted to practice in the the State of New York.
Kane advises across all kinds of intellectual property transactions, ranging from licensing and collaboration agreements, M&A diligence and transaction documents, asset sales, refinancing agreements, and IP assignments. Kane's particular focus is in life science transactions, owing to his background in biomedical science, and prior experience advising significant multinational pharmaceutical clients across both transactional and contentious matters.
Kane is also admitted to practice in Australiasee less
- Title
- Associate
Dates Employed
Jan 2018 – Mar 2019
Employment Duration
1 yr 3 mos
Location
Greater New York City Area
Kane previously practiced as an Associate with the Skadden Intellectual Property transactions team, operating out of New York City.
Kane advised across all kinds of intellectual property transactions, ranging from licensing and collaboration agreements, M&A diligence and transaction documents, asset sales, refinancing agreements, and IP assignments. Kane's particular focus in this role was advising early stage and mid-market pharmaceutical and life science clients.
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- Title
- Law Clerk
Dates Employed
Mar 2017 – Jan 2018
Employment Duration
11 mos
Location
Greater New York City Area
Kane worked as Law Clerk with the Skadden Intellectual Property transactions team, operating out of New York City.
Kane previously practiced as a Senior Associate in Ashurst's Intellectual Property team, advising clients across both transactional and contentious matters, with a specific emphasis on issues of patent validity and enforcement.
In this role, Kane advised market-leading pharmaceutical sector clients in a number of significant pharmaceutical patent disputes before the Federal Court of Australia.
Kane has also provided advice to pharmaceutical, life science and research entities on issues of patent validity, infringement and patent licensing, as well as providing more general advice on intellectual property management, including the auditing of intellectual property assets in corporate due diligence processes.
Kane also advised on a range of major Australian Government procurements, with significant experience across various ICT transactions, where he has advised on issues of liability capping, risk management and both COTS and Hardware licensing arrangements. More broadly Kane has advised on the conduct of formal tender process and approaches to market, including advice on the appropriate form and content of tender documentation and contract templates.
Kane has extensive experience with post-tender processes, contract drafting and commercial negotiations with preferred tenderers, including acting as lead lawyer in the conduct of commercial negotiations on behalf of the Commonwealth for the procurement of a bespoke ICT solution.
Kane also has experience advising Australian-based clients with respect to Privacy Act compliance and their obligations under Commonwealth secrecy legislation, including the drafting of privacy impact assessments for major government policy initiatives.see less
As a paralegal, Kane primarily worked in the general procurement and IP/IT team on major tenders and projects, including working as part of a team advising the Commonwealth on the procurement of health services, voice services and ICT goods and services.
During this time Kane drafted specific advices on issues of confidentiality, trade secret and privacy; and a drafted a purpose-built manual dealing with questions of IP identification and protection.
Kane developed extensive experience with the drafting of contract management guides and liaising with clients during the contract management phase of major projects.
Kane also worked as a summer clerk at Blake Dawson, which included rotations in the Litigation & Employment, and Property teams.see less
Kane provided service provider and consumer support with respect to: Commonwealth aged care policy and the Aged Care Act 1997; the PBS and functions of PBAC; Immunisation Australia; and general public health advisories issued by the Department.
Kane served a term as Vice-President and Treasurer of the peak representative body for Monash Students, the Monash Student Association. In this capacity, Kane was a member of the Executive, tasked with day-to-day management of the Association.
During his tenure, Kane designed and implemented, in conjunction with other members of the Executive, a restructuring of the organisation to cope with funding constraints imposed by the passing of the Voluntrary Student Unionism (or 'VSU') legislation by the Australian Government.
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Education
Education
Intellectual Property Law; Commercial Law; Contracts; Climate Law
* Winner of ANU Negotiation Competition 2009
* Semi-Finalist at ALSA national Negotiation Competition 2009
* Honours Thesis on Australian Intellectual Property law, titled: "University Commercialisation in the wake of UWA v Gray: Ownership, Exploitation, and the role of Universities as Incubators of Inventiveness".
* Final year focus on Intellectual Property, Advanced Contracts and Climate LawBiochemistry and Molecular Biology; Human Pathology; Bioinformatics; Health Policy
* President of the Biomedical Society 2004; Committee Member of the Biomedical Society 2005 :
Co-founded and was inaugural President of the Monash Biomedical Society after previous body had lapsed: the Monash Biomedical Society is now one of the largest and most active bodies representing students in the biomedical sciences at any Australian University.
* Treasurer of Monash Student Association 2006; Monash Student Council General Representative 2005 :
Participated in the restructure of the Monash Student Association (due to passing of the VSU legislation in 2006) during a term as Treasurer and member of the Student Association Executive.
Elective specialisations include: Cell Biology; Human Pathology; Bioinformatics; Health Policy & Management.
Volunteer experience
Volunteer experience
President
Company Name
Monash Biomedical Society
Dates volunteered
Mar 2004 – Mar 2005
Volunteer duration
1 yr 1 mo
Cause
Science and Technology
7 - Human Rights Implications of Pathogen Sharing and Technology Transfer
7 - Human Rights Implications of Pathogen Sharing and Technology Transfer
from Part II - Health Security, Research Ethics, and Human Rights Implications
Edited by Sam F. Halabi, Rebecca Katz
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
pp 120-134
Summary
Summary
Chapter 7 analyzes the human right to the highest attainable standard of health, as the World Health Organization Constitution articulates it, as requiring both that scientific sharing for biomedical advances take place but also that the benefits of research must be distributed so as to ensure that humans have access to essential medicines. The right to science also seeks to ensure access to the benefits that arise from scientific research and its applications. These discussions are contextualized within the broader colonial histories of both global health and international law and recommends contextualizing both access to pathogens and the sharing of benefits within human rights obligations of states in a manner that is cohesive, and non-fragmented, with other international agreements, including the International Health Regulations and the Nagoya Protocol.
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Highlights
Highlights
About
About
Dr Alexandra Phelan is an international legal advisor and global health advocate with law firm and international organizations experience. She is an Assistant Professor (tenure track) in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and faculty members at the Centre for Global Health Science & Security at Georgetown University Medical Center, and is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center. Dr Phelan is a legal and policy consultant for international organizations, including the World Health Organization, on global governance and law issues relating to international law and infectious diseases (including COVID-19, Zika, Ebola, Influenza, malaria & HIV/AIDS). Her research examines intersections between global health law, human rights law, and international environmental law, on issues including emerging infectious diseases, climate change, access to pathogens, benefits sharing, and global health justice.
Faculty appointment at the Center for Global Health Science and Security.
International and domestic legal analysis, preparedness, and response for infectious disease. Research areas include international law, global health law, pathogen sharing, data sharing, and human rights, equity, and justice issues related to infectious diseases.
Particular expertise with the International Health Regulations (2005), Pandemic Influenzas Preparedness Framework (2011), Nagoya Protocol (2010), and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992).see less
Convening Professor for the JD and LLM courses:
- "Global Health Law"
- “Public Health Law & Ethics”
- "Epidemiology for Lawyers"
Guest Lecturer: Georgetown Law Center, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Health Studies, Walsh School of Foreign Service, University of Melbourne Law School, University of Sydney Law School
Media appearances as legal expert on 2014-5 Ebola Outbreak (BBC, CBC, CCTV America, Channel News Asia) and 2015-6 Zika Outbreak.see less
International advisory, legal research, and writing on global health law projects, with a focus on international law, human rights, and infectious disease.
Consultant to analyze and examine the international human rights law implications of Zika virus, including its impacts on the realization of the rights of vulnerable population groups including women, adolescents, and girls, children, and persons with disabilities.
Admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor in the Supreme Court of Victoria and the High Court of Australia.
Mergers and acquisitions solicitor, managing teams and advising on long-term, high-budget projects for clients including Fortune Global Top 500 companies, smaller team projects, and not-for-profits.
Negotiated and drafted agreements, including as part of major international trade deals and deals involving both government and private sector parties.
Appearances as advocate and advising legal counsel in multiple fora.
Active pro bono service with Refugee Legal Service and Human Rights Law Centre, including court appearances and analysis of international human rights cases.see less
Provided legal advice and drafted agreements with GAVI partners including review of major donor agreements (government and large NGO donors), including negotiation and early drafting of leading telecommunication company and UNICEF technology partnership for health.
Advised on and negotiated limitations of liability, immunities, and intellectual property law matters with partner organizations including UN agencies, NGOs, and academic institutions.
Advised and drafted GAVI governance and legal documentation (in English and French) for recipient countries across Asia and Africa.
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• Represented the World Health Organization’s Health and Human Rights division at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Expert Working Group on International Solidarity.
• Internal rapporteur on the health human rights impact of the Syrian Civil War on health workers and vaccination programs as addressed at the Human Rights Council Special Session on Syria.
• Assisted organization of World Health Assembly side-event on mainstreaming gender, equity and human rights into World Health Organization programs.
• Drafted book chapter on human rights based approachs to addressing HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria.see less
Elected by Monash University student body.
Full director position, including governance and finance training through Australian Institute of Company
Directors.
Directors duties encompassed strategic direction of university, statutory obligations, financial oversight of significant budget, and as a member of the university’s highest Equal Opportunity Committee.see less
Academic and student advocate on academic and education policies at Monash University, representing over 40,000 students.
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Education
Education
Activities and Societies: President - SJD Organization SJD Representative - Student Bar Association
Doctoral research focussing on the global governance of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
Supervisor: Professor Lawrence O. Gostin
2013 General Sir John Monash Scholar
2013 & 2014: Georgetown University Law Center Academic Tuition ScholarshipSpecialisation: International Law: Global Health Security (infectious diseases) and Human Rights
Advanced Principles of International Law
International Humanitarian Law
International Security Law
International Organisations (Geneva)
Human Rights LitigationHonours thesis: Implementing Australia's Health Security Legislation: International Obligations, Validity, and Human Rights.
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Physiology
Activities and Societies: President - The Biomedical Society Student Representative - BBiomedSc
Activities and Societies: Delegate - First Premier Invited China-Australia Youth Delegation
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2021 (Sep 30) - Radaris Profile
2021 (Sep 30) - Radaris Profile
https://radaris.com/~Alexandra-Phelan/1382611596
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If age is approx 35 on Sep 30 2021, tht means she was born between Oct 1985 and Sep 30 1986
With Global Push For Covid-19 Vaccines, China Aims To Win Friends And Cut Deals
Date:
Nov 25, 2020
Category:
More news
Source:
Science Magazine
that it could have a controlling influence over a major international mechanism. In addition, says AlexandraPhelan, a lawyer at Georgetown Universitys Center for Global Health Science and Security who specializes in China, It is a good act of a global citizen to support this effort.
China's Aggressive Measures Have Slowed The Coronavirus. They May Not Work In Other Countries
Date:
Mar 02, 2020
Category:
Health
Source:
ampvideo_youtubeScience Magazine2 hours ago
Nor should they, says lawyer Alexandra Phelan, a China specialist at Georgetowns Center for Global Health Science and Security. Whether it works is not the only measure of whether something is a good public health control measure, Phelan says. There are plenty of things that would work to stop a
Is America Prepared For The Pandemic After Covid-19?
Date:
Sep 29, 2021
Category:
More news
Source:
The Atlantic
Were so focused on these high-tech solutions because they appear to be what a high-income country would do, Alexandra Phelan, an expert on international law and global health policy at Georgetown University, told me. And indeed, the Biden administration has gone all in on vaccines, trading them o
The Protests Will Spread The Coronavirus
Date:
Jun 01, 2020
Category:
More news
Source:
ampvideo_youtubeThe Atlantic31 minutes ago
Alexandra Phelan, a professor of global-health law at Georgetown University, also told me she believed that the protests were justifiable, even amid the public-health crisis. She drew a difference between these protests, against police brutality, and the protests earlier this spring, which opposed m
There Have Now Been More Than 10 Million Coronavirus Cases In The Us
Date:
Nov 09, 2020
Category:
More news
Source:
BuzzFeed News
What we have seen is this is inevitable, case increases are followed weeks later by hospitalization increases, and then are followed by increases in deaths, said global health lawyer Alexandra Phelan of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University School of Medicine.
How Covid-19 Is Creating The Risk Of “Vaccine Nationalism”
Date:
Jul 27, 2020
Category:
More news
Source:
Vox.com
own countrys health if youre not protecting global health. Without everyone in the world having access to this vaccine, no country is actually safe, Alexandra Phelan, an assistant professor and member of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University, told me.
As New Virus Spread, China’s Old Habits Delayed Fight
Date:
Feb 01, 2020
Category:
Headlines
Source:
ampvideo_youtubeThe New York Times56 minutes ago
Projecting optimism and confidence, if you dont have the data, is a very dangerous strategy, said AlexandraPhelan, a faculty research instructor in the department of microbiology and immunology at Georgetown University.
Jesuit Georgetown Joins Planned Parenthood In Promoting Abortion As Zika Remedy
Date:
Feb 06, 2016
Category:
Health
Source:
Breitbart News
Lawrence O. Gostin, faculty director of the ONeill Institute and university professor at Georgetown, and Alexandra Phelan, an adjunct professor in global health law and doctoral researcher with the ONeill Institute, coauthored the piece.
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NEWS
22 April 2020
Coronavirus: the first three months as it happened
Coronavirus: the first three months as it happened
Nature recorded major events as the pandemic spread across the globe.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00154-w
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Farewell to the God of Plague: Has International Law Prepared Us for the Next Pandemic?
Farewell to the God of Plague: Has International Law Prepared Us for the Next Pandemic?
Alexandra Phelan and Lawrence O. Gostin
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
Vol. 15, No. 2 (Summer/Fall 2014), pp. 134-143 (10 pages)
Published By: Georgetown University Press
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43773636
Cite this Item
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43773636?refreqid=excelsior%3Aa095dfbbacce5b383d04d4bcfb034819
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HEALTH AFFAIRS BLOG HEALTH EQUITY
On Zika Preparedness And Response, The US Gets A Failing Grade
On Zika Preparedness And Response, The US Gets A Failing Grade
APRIL 28, 201610.1377/hblog20160428.054662
There are worrying signs that the United States is unprepared to contain a likely Zika virus outbreak this summer. The critical problems are: insufficient resources for mosquito control, surveillance, and health care; highly variable capabilities and quality of service among public health and mosquito abatement authorities; and weak legal powers to implement critical interventions.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reports that 35 countries and territories in the Americas have confirmed local, vector-borne transmission of Zika since 2015. In the US, local mosquito-borne transmission has been reported in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. Puerto Rico, in particular, is experiencing a frightening epidemic, and with travel to and from that island and the wider region—and with the Rio Olympics looming—the conditions are ripe for spread into the continental US.
https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20160428.054662/full/
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COMMENTARYCOVID-19
Infectious Disease Threats: A Rebound To ResilienceJanuary 2021Open Access
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/pdf/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01544
THE AUSTRALIA-CHINA YOUTH DIALOGUE 中澳青年对话 2017 REPORT
The Australia-China Youth Dialogue (ACYD) is the preeminent inter-disciplinary early career leaders dialogue between Australia and Greater China. Every year 30 outstanding Australian and Greater Chinese citizens between 25-40 years of age participate in ACYD: a powerful platform that identifies, then meaningfully connects, highpotential leaders in Australia-Greater China affairs. ACYD advances the Australia-Greater China relationship by promoting frequent and meaningful dialogue between young leaders from the two regions. ACYD’s core objectives are to: • Develop a community of Australian and Greater Chinese young leaders from a range of backgrounds to create long-term, mutually beneficial relationships; • Position young influential leaders to be active, visible and constructive figures in Australia and Greater China affairs; and • Leverage ACYD’s community to promote awareness and understanding of culture and society in the public interest
LOL - 2018 one as well !
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg
. 2017 Jun 1;111(6):241-243. doi: 10.1093/trstmh/trx044.
Law as a fixture between the One Health interfaces of emerging diseases
Law as a fixture between the One Health interfaces of emerging diseases
Alexandra L Phelan 1, Lawrence O Gostin 1
Affiliations expand
PMID: 29044369
Abstract
Abstract
A One Health approach calls for multisectoral and multi-institutional cooperation and partnership across the interfaces of human, animal and ecosystem health risks. Without strong governance, these interfaces risk detaching, leaving gaps in capacities to prevent, detect and respond to emerging and persisting public health threats. As a crucial component of governance, law can act as the fixture between interfaces. We examine some of the many forms and foci of law and propose that the process of law-making, implementation and evaluation can provide a benefit for strengthening law as a fixture between One Health interfaces. To demonstrate this, we discuss three current examples of international legal instruments for emerging infectious diseases: the International Health Regulations, the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework and the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance.
Keywords: Antibiotic resistance; Global health; Infectious diseases; International law; Law; One Health.
© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29044369/
Health Secur
. Jan/Feb 2017;15(1):123-126. doi: 10.1089/hs.2016.0114. Epub 2016 Dec 19.
Federal Powers to Control Communicable Conditions: Call for Reforms to Assure National Preparedness and Promote Global Security
Federal Powers to Control Communicable Conditions: Call for Reforms to Assure National Preparedness and Promote Global Security
James G Hodge Jr, Lawrence O Gostin, Wendy E Parmet, Jennifer B Nuzzo, Alexandra Phelan
PMID: 27991831
DOI: 10.1089/hs.2016.0114
No abstract available
Keywords: Communicable disease; Legal aspects; Quarantine.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27991831/
Why Global Governance of Disease Matters for the Emergence of a Novel Coronavirus
Why Global Governance of Disease Matters for the Emergence of a Novel Coronavirus
As WHO manages outbreak, how can we strengthen global governance tools and ensure existing systems fit an evolving world
A mother and her child wear a mask to prevent contacting a new coronavirus in Seoul, South Korea, January 26, 2020. REUTERS/Yonhap
by Rebecca Katz and Alexandra L. Phelan
January 27, 2020
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In the waning days of 2019, a new coronavirus was reported to have emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Reports linked initial clusters of cases to a seafood market (one where many animal species were slaughtered and sold). In the subsequent weeks the virus has spread throughout the province, to other parts of China, and now to countries around the world, with cases reported in four of the six regions of the World Health Organization (Western Pacific, Southeast Asia, Americas, and Europe.)
2020 (Jan 30) - JAMA COVID19 paper with Lawrence Gostin - "The Novel Coronavirus Originating in Wuhan, China, Challenges for Global Health Governance"
2020 (Jan 30) - JAMA COVID19 paper with Lawrence Gostin - "The Novel Coronavirus Originating in Wuhan, China, Challenges for Global Health Governance"
( [DOI]:10.1001/jama.2020.1097 ) / PDF at [HP0084][GDrive] / Text at [HP0085][GDrive]
Also see : The Snohomish County Man (as this references the spread to the United States)
Authors :
[Alexandra Louise Phelan (born 1986)], SJD, LLM : Center for Global Health Science and Security, Georgetown University,Washington, DC; and O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC.
[Dr. Rebecca Lynn Katz (born 1973)]: Center for Global Health Science and Security, Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
[Lawrence Oglethorpe Gostin (born 1949)]: O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC.
On December 31, 2019, China reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, caused by a novel coronavirus, currently designated 2019-nCoV. Mounting cases and deaths pose major public health and governance challenges. China’s imposition of an unprecedented cordon sanitaire (a guarded area preventing anyone from leaving) in Hubei Province has also sparked controversy concerning its implementation and effectiveness. Cases have now spread to at least 4 continents. As of January 28, there are more than 4500 confirmed cases (98% in China) and more than 100 deaths.1 In this Viewpoint, we describe the current status of 2019- nCoV, assess the response, and offer proposals for strategies to bring the outbreak under control.
Current Status
Current Status
China rapidly isolated the novel coronavirus on January 7 and shared viral genome data with the international community 3 days later. Since that time, China has reported increasing numbers of cases and deaths, partly attributable to wider diagnostic testing as awareness of the outbreak grows. Health officials have identified evidence of transmission along a chain of 4 “generations” (a person who originally contracted the virus from a nonhuman source infected someone else, who infected another individual, who then infected another individual),suggesting sustained human-to-human transmission. Current estimates are that2019-nCoV has an incubation period of 2 to 14 days, with potential asymptomatic transmission.1,2
Multiple countries have confirmed travel-associated cases, including Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Nepal, Singapore, SouthKorea,Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United States, and Vietnam. Vietnam identified the first human-to-human transmission outside China. Yet fundamental knowledge gaps exist on how to accurately characterize the risk, including confirmation of the zoonotic source, efficiency of transmission, precise clinical symptoms, and the range of disease severity and case fatalities.
Control Measures in China
Control Measures in China
The Chinese Lunar New Year is the largest annual mass travel event worldwide, risking amplification of the spread of 2019-nCoV. In response, China severely restricted movement across Hubei Province in 16 cities, affecting more than 50 million people.3 Authorities have closed public transit and canceled outbound transportation (air, train, and long-haul buses). Vehicular traffic in Wuhan was banned. China also imposed a ban on overseas travel with tour groups and suspended sale of flight and hotel packages. Authorities canceledLunarNewYear gatherings in Beijing as well as intra-province bus service into the nation’s capital. China's Finance Ministry announced ¥1 billion (US $145 million) to fund the response as well as the rapid construction of 2 hospitals inWuhan to treat those affected.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region declared its highest-tier emergency, curtailed public events, and barred travelers from Hubei Province. Travelers from mainland China must complete health declarations. Hong Kong has also closed schools and universities at least until mid-February.4
Control Measures by Governments Worldwide
Control Measures by Governments Worldwide
As travel-associated cases of 2019-nCoV escalate, countries have implemented border screening. China itself sharply curtailed travel to and from Hubei Province. Consequently, governments have not yet felt the need to ban travel from China, with2exceptions:NorthKorea has prohibited entry of all Chinese travelers and Kyrgyzstan has closed its border with China. During previous outbreaks like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and Ebola, governments curtailed travel and trade, so future directives seem reasonably foreseeable.
Multiple countries (eg, Australia, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, India, Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, and Nigeria) have commenced temperature screening, symptom screening, and/or questionnaires for arriving passengers from China. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched enhanced, noninvasive screening of travelers from Wuhan at 20 major airports, while theUSState Department issued its highest-level travel advisory for Hubei Province: level 4, “do not travel.” The State Department now advises that people should “reconsider travel” for all of mainland China.
Non-pharmaceutical Interventions
Non-pharmaceutical Interventions
The sheer scale of China’s cordon sanitaire across Hubei Province is unprecedented. Health authorities quarantined major cities during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, but with little lasting effect on the epidemic’s spread.5 The Ebola epidemic inWest Africa (2013-2016) spurred quarantines, such as the Liberian government’s unsuccessful and heavily criticized cordon sanitaire of 60000 to 120000 people inWest Point, Monrovia. The order led to violence and public mistrust that risked amplifying the spread of Ebola.
Gaining the public’s trust is critical to any public health strategy.The health system should facilitate and encourage individuals to promptly seek testing and treatment, as well as to cooperate with containment measures such as isolation and contact investigations. According to Wuhan officials, by the time China implemented the cordon sanitaire, up to 5 million individuals had already traveled fromWuhan for Lunar New Year.6 While social distancing measures can delay viral spread, involuntary restrictions of movement within Hubei are likely to erode community trust and undermine cooperation with health authorities. Within the cordon sanitaire, logistical issues are evident, already resulting in shortages of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. With hospitals and clinics overcrowded and public transport limited, symptomatic individuals may delay access to treatment. There is also the possibility that congregating people in congested cities may still lead to infection, albeit in divergent ways.
Beyond the public health effects, enforcing cordons sanitaires can violate human rights, including the rights to dignity, privacy, and freedom of movement. The International Health Regulations (IHR) proscribe unnecessary interference with international travel and trade, while also requiring respect for the human rights of travelers. States must impose the “least restrictive” measures necessary to safeguard public health.7 While border screening has had questionable efficacy for detecting cases in past disease outbreaks, the enhanced noninvasive screening implemented by US officials appears consistent with IHR requirements, provided it is conducted in a manner that treats travelers with respect for their dignity, human rights, and fundamental freedoms.7
Role of the WHO
Role of the WHO
The IHR grants the WHO director-general power to declare a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) for an extraordinary event that poses a public health risk to other states through international spread and requires a coordinated international response. It is clear that the 2019-nCoV outbreak fully meets these legal criteria for a PHEIC. The director-general announced that on January 30 the Emergency Committee will reconvene to consider if the coronavirus outbreak constitutes a global health emergency. The escalating 2019-nCoV outbreak poses a significant risk to human health, international spread, and interference with international traffic.
WHO has declared 5 PHEICs: H1N1 (2009), polio (2014), Ebola in West Africa (2014), Zika (2016), and Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (2019). The IHR does not grant WHO special powers or financing in the event of a PHEIC, suggesting an imperative to reform the regulations to give traction to an emergency declaration.8 Still, declaring a PHEIC is a powerful signal to the international community to launch a surge public health response, galvanizing political action and mobilizing funding. When declaring a PHEIC, the director-general can make influential, albeit legally non-binding, recommendations. Declaring a health emergency would be a critical opportunity for WHO leadership to set norms, devise a global strategy, and uphold principles meticulously articulated by 196states party to the IHR.
Bringing 2019-nCoV Under Control
Bringing 2019-nCoV Under Control
The 2019-nCoV outbreak is currently not under control, with a high risk of spread in China and globally. Managing the outbreak requires international cooperation using traditional public health strategies that ultimately succeeded with SARS. The scientific community must fully characterize 2019-nCoV; epidemiologists must conduct intensive contact investigations; researchers should move rapidly toward development of medical countermeasures; and supply chains must mobilize to meet human needs for food, water, and medicine.
While China has considerable resources and technical competence, containment of 2019-nCoV requires a coordinated international response. WHO should exercise leadership, urgently convening a multidisciplinary committee to devise a global action plan for novel outbreaks, including surveillance, contact investigations, testing, and treatment; fostering public trust and cooperation; transparently sharing scientific information; and incentivizing academia and industry to develop vaccines and antiviral medications.
It is too early to predict how widespread and pathogenic 2019-nCov will become. It is better to act decisively now rather than wait to see how the outbreak unfolds globally. Beyond all, this global health threat teaches, once again, that it is far better to invest in preparedness to prevent, rapidly identify, and contain outbreaks at their source. Reacting after a novel infection has spread widely (perhaps overreacting with travel bans and quarantines) costs lives, economic resources, and the well-being of millions of people currently cordoned off in a zone of contagion.
- ARTICLE INFORMATION :Published Online: January 30, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.1097
- Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Mr Gostin is the director of theWorld Health Organization Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law. No other disclosures were reported.
- REFERENCES
- World Health Organization. Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) situation report-8. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situationreports/20200128-sitrep-8-ncov-cleared.pdf?sfvrsn=8b671ce5_2. January 28, 2020.
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2019 Novel coronavirus, Wuhan, China: symptoms. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/symptoms.html . Published January 26, 2020. Accessed January 27, 2020.
- Shih G, Lynch DJ, Denyer S, Shammas B. Chinese coronavirus infections, death toll soar as fifth case is confirmed in U.S. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/coronavirus-china-latestupdates/2020/01/26/4603266c-3fa8-11ea-afe2-090eb37b60b1_story.html . Published January 26, 2020. Accessed January 27, 2020.
- Hong Kong declaresWuhan virus outbreak “emergency”—the highest warning tier. Hong Kong Free Press. https://www.hongkongfp.com/2020/01/25/breaking-hong-kong-declares-wuhan-virusoutbreak-emergency-highest-warning-tier . January 25, 2020.
- 5. Markel H, Lipman HB, Navarro JA, et al. Nonpharmaceutical interventions implemented by US cities during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic. JAMA. 2007;298(6):644-654.
- Shih G, Denyer S.Wuhan mayor says 5 million people left city in recent days.Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/coronavirus-china-latest-updates/2020/01/27/3634db9a-40a7-11ea-aa6a-083d01b3ed18_story.html. January 27, 2020.
- World Health Organization. International Health Regulations. 2nd ed. https://www.who.int/ihr/publications/9789241596664/en/ . Published 2008. Accessed January 27, 2020.
- Gostin LO, DeBartolo MC, Katz R. The global health law trilogy: towards a safer, healthier, and fairer world. Lancet. 2017;390(10105):1918-1926.
Legal Epidemiology for Global Health Security and Universal Health Coverage
Legal Epidemiology for Global Health Security and Universal Health Coverage
Alexandra L. Phelan, Rebecca Katz
First Published September 27, 2019 Research Article Find in PubMed
https://doi.org/10.1177/1073110519876175
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1073110519876175
https://eprints.qut.edu.au/91198/1/Phelan_ANU%2BClimate%2BChange%2BRights%2BPolicy%2BPaper.pdf
Climate Change and Human Rights: Intellectual Property Challenges and Opportunities Alexandra L Phelan 22 September 2015 Report prepared for Dr Matthew Rimmer as part of his Australian Research Council Future Fellowship on Intellectual Property and Climate Change, Australian National University College of Law.
U.S. readiness for a viral outbreak has improved, but there’s a long way to go
U.S. readiness for a viral outbreak has improved, but there’s a long way to go
A man wears a mask while walking in the street on Jan. 22 in Wuhan, China. (AFP/Getty Images)
By
and
January 22, 2020
A Liberian man walked into a Dallas emergency room in September 2014, at the height of the West African Ebola epidemic, complaining of high fever, abdominal pain and other symptoms of the fearsome virus. He was sent home with acetaminophen and a diagnosis of a sinus infection.
Two weeks later, Thomas Eric Duncan was dead, two nurses who attended him were infected with Ebola and the shortcomings of U.S. preparations for a viral epidemic were vividly exposed.
Now, with word of the first U.S. patient to contract the new virus that has killed 17 people in China comes the inevitable question: Is the United States better prepared for the catastrophic outbreak authorities have long feared?
“The big picture,” said Tom Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who oversaw the Ebola response, “is that we’re better prepared than we were before, but not nearly as prepared as we need to be.”
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There is little doubt the country has made big leaps in preparedness since the anthrax scare of 2001, the SARS crisis in 2003, the MERS outbreak of 2014 and the West African Ebola epidemic that ended in 2016, according to experts and reports that evaluated the response to those crises.
What we know about the mysterious, pneumonia-like coronavirus spreading in China and elsewhere
Twenty years ago, the nation had few programs or resources dedicated to coordinating the response to an outbreak among federal, state and local agencies and the hospitals that are the front-line protection against an epidemic, said Thomas V. Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Now, he said, agencies like the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, part of the Department of Health and Human Services; the CDC; the Defense Department; and the Department of Homeland Security have spent years and countless millions of dollars training, testing and coordinating with the nation’s health-care facilities for just such an occurrence.
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Inglesby said he is confident that hospitals in the five cities that could receive passengers on flights from Wuhan, China — the epicenter of the outbreak — have been warned to be on alert. Under new precautions, anyone traveling from Wuhan will be funneled to airports in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago or Atlanta.
“In major hospitals in big cities, and definitely in the ones where flights will be landing from Wuhan, those people are very well aware of what’s going on,” he said. “It doesn’t mean everyone in the country is properly trained, but the front line is.”
At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, front-line health-care workers who have long asked patients about travel to the Middle East as a way of screening for MERS are also raising questions about travel to China with anyone who complains of the respiratory problems and fever caused by the new virus.
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At UCLA and Emory University hospitals, nurses and doctors in the emergency room already ask open-ended questions about travel, officials said.
“I would think my colleagues in hospitals across the United States are doing something very, very similar,” said William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
The stockpile of drugs and equipment such as ventilators has been expanded, Frieden said, and training for disease response in Asia and Africa has been stepped up.
The science necessary to respond to an outbreak also has progressed rapidly. When the first U.S. patient in the current epidemic, a man in his 30s in Snohomish County, Wash., exhibited symptoms, the CDC was able to test specimens and confirm his diagnosis in 24 hours. The National Institutes of Health and other agencies are already working on a vaccine and treatments. And the Chinese rapidly sequenced the virus’s genome, then distributed the information around the globe within weeks, Schaffner and other officials noted.
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Identification of the SARS virus in 2003 took months, and developing a reliable test for the virus took even longer.
But any system is only as good as the information fed into it, and Frieden pointed out in an interview Wednesday how little is still known about the new coronavirus.
How were 14 health-care workers in China infected — from one incident or from numerous patients? Why are some patients in China asymptomatic? How long do the infections last? How many are severe? What characteristics do the 17 people who died share?
Mapping the spread of the new coronavirus
“Large parts of the world have really bad diseases spreading that could bite us tomorrow and we don’t know about it,” Frieden said.
At home, the list of deficiencies that could undermine a quick and effective response is lengthy. When an independent panel evaluated the U.S. response to Ebola in 2016, it found “the U.S. government was not well prepared to respond to emergent crises that require a rapid, integrated domestic and international response.” It said U.S. officials “did not demonstrate an appreciation of the public’s perceptions and fear,” and even had trouble supplying enough of the protective suits health-care workers had to wear while treating Ebola patients.
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When HHS’s inspector general evaluated hospitals after the Ebola crisis, it found that 71 percent of administrators considered their facilities unprepared to receive Ebola patients in 2014 — a figure that had dropped to 14 percent by 2017.
The first U.S. coronavirus patient offers little evidence of how well the system responded. After returning from two months visiting family in Wuhan and developing symptoms on Jan. 16, he guessed he could have been infected by the virus and sought care at a clinic Jan. 19, John Wiesman, secretary of health for the state of Washington, said Wednesday. The patient appears to have a mild case of the infection. Health authorities said they are monitoring 16 people he came into contact with.
The next person may not be so healthy or well-informed. The question remains: What will happen when he or she walks through the doors of a health facility somewhere in the United States?
“Well-trained and resourced health-care workers will be the key to detecting new cases, implementing infection control procedures — including isolating suspected ill individuals — and treating those who are ill,” said Alexandra L. Phelan, a faculty research instructor at Georgetown University’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
Climate Change and Human Rights: Intellectual Property Challenges and Opportunities
Climate Change and Human Rights: Intellectual Property Challenges and Opportunities
36 Pages Posted: 16 Dec 2015
Center for Global Health Science & Security; Georgetown University, Law Center
Date Written: September 22, 2015
Abstract
Abstract
Mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change will require innovation and the development of new technologies. Intellectual property laws have a key part to play in the global transfer of climate technologies. However, failures to properly utilize flexibilities in intellectual property regimes or comply with technology transfer obligations under international climate change agreements calls for a human rights based analysis of climate technology transfer. Climate change is an unprecedented challenge and requires unprecedented strategies. Given the substantial impact of climate change on all of humanity and the ethical imperative to act, a complete rethink of traditional intellectual property approaches is warranted. This report proposes a series of intellectual property law policy options, through a human rights framework, aimed at promoting access to technologies to reduce the human suffering caused by climate change.
Keywords: Intellectual Property, Climate Change, Human Rights, International Law, Technology Transfer
Flu, Floods, and Fire: Ethical Public Health Preparedness
Alexandra L. Phelan & Lawrence O. Gostin
Hastings Center Report 47 (3):46-47 (2017)
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Abstract
Even as public health ethics was developing as a field, major incidents such as 9/11 and the SARS epidemic propelled discourse around public health emergency preparedness and response. Policy and practice shifted to a multidisciplinary approach, recognizing the broad range of potential threats to public health, including biological, physical, radiological, and chemical threats. This propelled the development of surveillance systems to detect incidents, laboratory capacities to rapidly test for potential threats, and therapeutic and social countermeasures to prepare for and respond to a range of hazards. In bringing public health ethics and emergency preparedness together, Emergency Ethics: Public Health Preparedness and Response adds depth and complexity to both fields. As global threats continue to emerge, the book, edited by Bruce Jennings, John D. Arras, Drue H. Barrett, and Barbara A. Ellis, will offer a vital compass.
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What would it take to describe the global diversity of parasites?
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (IF5.349), Pub Date : 2020-11-18, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1841
Colin J. Carlson, Tad A. Dallas, Laura W. Alexander, Alexandra L. Phelan, Anna J. Phillips
How many parasites are there on Earth? Here, we use helminth parasites to highlight how little is known about parasite diversity, and how insufficient our current approach will be to describe the full scope of life on Earth. Using the largest database of host–parasite associations and one of the world’s largest parasite collections, we estimate a global total of roughly 100 000–350 000 species of helminth endoparasites of vertebrates, of which 85–95% are unknown to science. The parasites of amphibians and reptiles remain the most poorly described, but the majority of undescribed species are probably parasites of birds and bony fish. Missing species are disproportionately likely to be smaller parasites of smaller hosts in undersampled countries. At current rates, it would take centuries to comprehensively sample, collect and name vertebrate helminths. While some have suggested that macroecology can work around existing data limitations, we argue that patterns described from a small, biased sample of diversity aren’t necessarily reliable, especially as host–parasite networks are increasingly altered by global change. In the spirit of moonshots like the Human Genome Project and the Global Virome Project, we consider the idea of a Global Parasite Project: a global effort to transform parasitology and inventory parasite diversity at an unprecedented pace.
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