GCPH Blog

National Preparedness Month is observed every September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for emergencies or disasters. The focus for the 2023 National Preparedness Month campaign is Preparing for Older Adults. Older adults who are living alone, are low-income, have a disability, or live in rural areas can face greater risks when disaster strikes. Although many emergencies can’t be prevented, there are steps people can take to be prepared in the event of an emergency. 

Throughout much of human history, communicable diseases have been one of the largest concerns for public health. These are diseases that can be spread from person to person, animal to person, or to a person from a surface or food. Influenza, Lyme disease, and salmonella are a few examples of communicable diseases. 

In the mid-twentieth century, vaccines began to be researched and approved for use to help prevent communicable diseases. Vaccines imitate a virus, which teaches a person's body how to defend itself from that particular virus. Then, if a person is exposed to the real virus their body can fight off that virus. Efforts to make vaccines widely available and vaccination education led to the eradication of certain diseases, like polio or smallpox, in the United States and worldwide. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated July 28th of each year as World Hepatitis Day. This day is meant to raise awareness and understanding of hepatitis. This date was chosen to honor the birthday of Nobel Laureate Professor Baruch Samuel Blumberg, discoverer of the hepatitis B virus.