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Daily Archives: September 23, 2014

Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa -The First 9 Months of the Epidemic and Forward Projections

Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa — The First 9 Months of the Epidemic and Forward Projections – WHO Ebola Response Team – September 23, 2014. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1411100

“As of September 14, 2014, a total of 4507 confirmed and probable cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD), as well as 2296 deaths from the virus, had been reported from five countries in West Africa — Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. In terms of reported morbidity and mortality, the current epidemic of EVD is far larger than all previous epidemics combined. The true numbers of cases and deaths are certainly higher. There are numerous reports of symptomatic persons evading diagnosis and treatment, of laboratory diagnoses that have not been included in national databases, and of persons with suspected EVD who were buried without a diagnosis having been made. The epidemic began in Guinea during December 2013, and the World Health Organization (WHO) was officially notified of the rapidly evolving EVD outbreak on March 23, 2014. On August 8, the WHO declared the epidemic to be a “public health emergency of international concern.” By mid-September, 9 months after the first case occurred, the numbers of reported cases and deaths were still growing from week to week despite multinational and multisectoral efforts to control the spread of infection.1 The epidemic has now become so large that the three most-affected countries — Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone — face enormous challenges in implementing control measures at the scale required to stop transmission and to provide clinical care for all persons with EVD…These data indicate that without drastic improvements in control measures, the numbers of cases of and deaths from EVD are expected to continue increasing from hundreds to thousands per week in the coming months.”

Results of the 2014 Global Privacy Enforcement Network Sweep

“The second Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) Privacy Sweep demonstrates the ongoing commitment of privacy enforcement authorities to work together to promote privacy protection around the world. Some 26 privacy enforcement authorities in 19 countries participated in the 2014 Sweep, which took place May 12-18. Over the course of the week, participants downloaded 1,211 popular mobile apps… Continue Reading

Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2014

Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2014. Barbara Salazar Torreon, Information Research Specialist, September 15, 2014. “The following list reviews hundreds of instances in which the United States has used military forces abroad in situations of military conflict or potential conflict to protect U.S. citizens or promote U.S. interests. The list does not include covert… Continue Reading

Socio-Emotional Impact Of Violent Crime

Lynn Langton, Ph.D., Jennifer Truman, Ph.D. September 23, 2014   “Examines victims’ socio-emotional problems resulting from violent crime, including moderate to severe distress, problems with family or friend relationships, or problems at work or school. The report explores the relationship between the socio-emotional response to crime and the characteristics of the victim and the incident, such… Continue Reading

Budgetary Estimates Single-Family Mortgage Guarantee Program of FHA

“Loan guarantees made in the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA’s) guarantee program for single-family mortgages from 1992 to 2013 are now projected to generate small costs over their lifetimes rather than the significant savings that were recorded in the federal budget at the time the guarantees were made—a deterioration that stems largely from the sharp downturn… Continue Reading

Quarterly Summary of State and Local Government Tax Revenues: Second Quarter 2014

Census: “This summary shows quarterly tax revenue statistics on property, sales, license, income and other taxes. Statistics are shown for individual state governments as well as national estimates of total state and local taxes, including 12-month calculations. This quarterly survey has been conducted continuously since 1962.”   Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Drinking Water, Federal Software Licenses, F-35 Sustainment, Health Resources and Services Admin., Surface Transportation

DRINKING WATER: Characterization of Injected Fluids Associated with Oil and Gas Production, GAO-14-857R: Published: Sep 23, 2014. Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2014. FEDERAL SOFTWARE LICENSES: Most Agencies Have Reported Planned Actions to Address Our Prior Recommendations on Software License Management, GAO-14-835R: Published: Sep 23, 2014. Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2014. F-35 SUSTAINMENT: Need for Affordable Strategy, Greater Attention to Risks, and… Continue Reading