Effects of Investments From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 Health Disparities Grant on Health Departments' Capacity to Address Public Health Emergencies.

The COVID-19 pandemic magnified long-standing health disparities, showing that certain populations are at higher risk for effects of public health emergencies than others. The pandemic response also put demands on the nation's health departments and stretched their limited resources. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities (hereinafter, COVID-19 Health Disparities Grant) to reduce COVID-19 health disparities and advance health equity.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Infrastructure Grant: A Better Approach to Empowering More State and Local Decision Making and Strengthening the Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure.

Context: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) that included a historic investment in the public health workforce.

Program: Charged with implementing this investment, the U.S.

Detection of anthrax protective antigen (PA) using europium labeled anti-PA monoclonal antibody and time-resolved fluorescence.

Inhalation anthrax is a rare but acute infectious disease following adsorption of Bacillus anthracis spores through the lungs. The disease has a high fatality rate if untreated, but early and correct diagnosis has a significant impact on case patient recovery. The early symptoms of inhalation anthrax are, however, non-specific and current anthrax diagnostics are primarily dependent upon culture and confirmatory real-time PCR.

Evaluation of automated and manual DNA purification methods for detecting Ricinus communis DNA during ricin investigations.

In April of 2013, letters addressed to the President of United States and other government officials were intercepted and found to be contaminated with ricin, heightening awareness about the need to evaluate laboratory methods for detecting ricin. This study evaluated commercial DNA purification methods for isolating Ricinus communis DNA as measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Four commercially available DNA purification methods (two automated, MagNA Pure compact and MagNA Pure LC, and two manual, MasterPure complete DNA and RNA purification kit and QIAamp DNA blood mini kit) were evaluated.