Page 11 - JSOM Spring 2018

TEMS COMMITTEE SURVEY The End Of Epidemics
The Looming Threat to Humanity and How to Stop It
As part of the International Public Safety Association, the The Kirkus review of this recent book by Jonathan D. Quick
TEMS Committee has published a TEMS survey to try to with Bronwyn Fryer describes a new approach to the prob-
accurately define and document TEMS capabilities of teams lem of epidemics (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book
across the country and abroad. Here is the URL to the sur- -reviews/jonathan-d-quick/the-end-of-epidemics/):
vey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IPSA-TEMS-Programs-
Worldwide. The IPSA will publish a summary of the data to “A veteran global health professional explores the meth-
share with all participants.
ods for preventing pandemics, an ever present threat to
humankind. Quick, an instructor
ULRICH WEGENER OBITUARY of medicine at Harvard Medical
School and chair of the Global
Ulrich Wegener, the police commando who led the 1977 West Health Council, begins by assess-
German raid that rescued 90 people from a Lufthansa jetliner ing the many threats: overpopula-
that four militants had hijacked and flown to Somalia and tion and expanded mobility thanks
who was widely celebrated as a hero, died on 28 Deccember to travel or as a result of war; eco-
2018 in Cologne at the age of 88.
nomic failings; weather disasters
that lead to migrant movements
“The hijacking was one of a series of attacks in 1977 linked and often end with malnourished
to the anarchist Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader- masses in unsanitary camps; bio-
Meinhof Gang. In April of that year, adherents of the gang terrorism (it is remarkably easy
killed Siegfried Buback, West Germany’s chief public pros- to make ricin or spread anthrax);
ecutor, along with his driver and a police escort; in July, they global warming, which is creating new environs for
killed Jürgen Ponto, the chairman of Dresdner Bank; and in mosquitoes and other disease bearers; and factory farm-
September, they kidnapped Hanns-Martin Schleyer, head of ing, which is already leading to massive destructions of
the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations, fa- flocks to control bird flu. As a solution, the author of-
tally shooting his driver and three policemen in the process. fers his “Power of Seven” precepts: strong national lead-
[For more on Mr Wegener’s role in the hijacking and other ership; resilient health care systems; research to promote
details of his fascinating life, go to https://www.nytimes.com active prevention and constant readiness; trustworthy
/2018/01/03/obituaries/ulrich-wegener-dead-german-com- communications; scientific innovation; resources and
mando-ended-hijacking.html].
investment; strong networks of citizen activists (see
what ACT UP volunteers were able to accomplish in
In addition, Mr Wegener’s autobiog- the fight against AIDS). These are all fine approaches,
raphy, GSG 9: Stärker ala der Terror and Quick’s chapters elaborating past failures when one
[GSG-9: Stronger Than Terror] is avail- or more of these guidelines was lacking are exemplary,
able from: as are his success stories. But are they viable in today’s
https://translate.google.com/translate? world? For these approaches to work, there would need
hl=en&sl=de&u=https://www.amazon to be significant political will, doubtful given the trends
.de/GSG-9-St%25C3%25A4rker-als toward authoritarian and xenophobic regimes. Perhaps
-Terrordp/3643137621&prev=search).
the greater hurdle is the polarization of society and a
growing lack of trust. The anti-vaccination believers
and the West African communities who killed the medi-
cal workers who came to tell them not to touch their
The Mogadishu Airport Raid
“At the epicentre of the rescue plans were the elite GSG-9 Ebola-dead relatives are painful examples of fear and
whose leader, Colonel Ulrich Wegener, immediately asked for distrust that no amount of reason will reverse. What
help from Britain's Elite SAS forces. Among the toys the SAS can work is better communication at a local level, from
carried to Bonn, Germany, were stun grenades, such new tech- peers. Another positive Quick points to is the success
nology at the time that even the elite Germany forces had never achieved through broad public-private collaborations,
seen them. The stun grenades would play a crucial role in the which have increased worldwide vaccination rates and
rescue effort.” Read the entire account at http://owaahh.com expanded access to AIDS drugs in Africa. Sobering read-
/mogadishu-airport-raid/. ing for public health officials and infectious disease stu-
dents and perhaps inspiration for would-be activists to
get busy. For general readers: get your flu shot.”

For MORE NEWS TO USE, see pages 28, 112, 140,
144, and 154.

News To Use | 7