This paper examines the impact of public health emergencies on the healthcare needs of people who live in rural areas. The authors provide recommendations for assessing preparedness and ensuring the availability, quality, and continuity of healthcare services for rural residents in the aftermath of a bioterrorism or other public health emergency.

This document is a resource is for emergency responders and federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial officials charged with communicating with the public in the immediate aftermath of an improvised nuclear detonation in the United States. It provides information, instructions, and messages that emergency responders can share with the general public in the initial moments following the explosion, before federal assistance arrives.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates and equips local teams to support their communities in and after disasters, providing services such as light search and rescue and disaster medical operations. This 6-hour course is designed to prepare individuals for a classroom-based CERT Basic Training course in their area, which is required before they can serve as CERT volunteers.

The document presents a model set of minimum competencies in public health emergency law for mid-tier public health professionals. The model includes nine key competencies in three domains: systems preparedness and response, management and protection of property and supplies, and management and protection of persons.

The authors assess the long-term psychological effects on civilians who were exposed to sulfur mustard gas. Many civilians reported emotional distress even 20 years after exposure.

The paper presents findings from a survey of health care workers at nine hospitals in Toronto, Canada, following the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Results showed that workers who treated SARS patients were more likely than other workers to experience long-term adverse outcomes, such as burnout, psychological distress, and posttraumatic stress.

NRC is an independent agency created by Congress to ensure the safe use of radioactive materials. The agency regulates commercial nuclear power plants and other uses of nuclear materials, such as in nuclear medicine, through licensing, inspection, and enforcement of its requirements.

This infographic shows where to go and what to do in the event of a radiation emergency (i.e., get inside, stay inside, stay tuned for updated instructions from emergency response officials).

This article presents findings from a survey conducted with 153 civilians in three towns in Iran to examine the mental health effects on survivors after exposure to chemical warfare. [Citation: Hashemian F, Khoshnood K, Desai MM, Falahati F, Kasl S, Southwick S. Anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress in Iranian survivors of chemical warfare. JAMA. 2006 Aug 2;296(5):560-6.]

OSHA ensures safe and healthful working conditions by setting and enforcing standards, and by providing training, outreach, and education. This section of the OSHA website provides information and resources related to bioterrorism.

This article examines the social and psychological consequences of exposure to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. Based on findings from a literature review and consultation with experts, the authors describe the different approaches used by mental health professionals in the former Soviet Union and in the West to classify distress and disorders and design treatment programs. The article also provides recommendations for bridging these gaps.

This section of the CDC website lists several online preparedness resources that are specific to chemical emergencies.

This fact sheet offers information on triage, early psychological interventions, and patient education to help disaster responders help themselves, colleagues, and survivors of a radiological incident.

This webpage explains what ricin is, its use as a biological weapon, the symptoms of ricin poisoning, and long-term effects.

This website provides links to fact sheets about bioterrorism agents, such as anthrax, botulism, brucellosis, plague, smallpox, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers.

This resource collection includes web pages, manuals, guides, technical assistance documents, mobile apps, and training on topics including responding to a radiation emergency, responding to a nuclear detonation, triaging survivors, and managing hazardous materials. Items may be useful both to responders and those who manage responders and response efforts.

This document is intended to help low-income and middle-income countries strengthen their preparedness and response plans, with a focus on the social and mental health consequences of biological and chemical attacks.

This pamphlet discusses the characteristics of chemical and biological terrorist threats, suggests ways to detect them, and provides strategies for protection and decontamination.

This website section includes information that can help emergency services physicians and nurses manage patients and understand and treat injuries after radiation emergencies.

This section of the OSHA web site explains what ricin is and how it can be used as a biological weapon, and highlights related OSHA standards and enforcement policies.

This study examined the psychological effects of quarantine via an online survey conducted with a convenience sample of 129 persons who were quarantined in Toronto, Canada, during the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak.

This video describes how biological agents such as smallpox, anthrax, and viral hemorrhagic fevers have been or can be used as bioterrorist weapons.

This article describes the psychological symptoms that emergency physicians may see in patients in the aftermath of a terrorist event. It identifies mental health screening tools that may be used to refer patients to more formal psychiatric evaluation, and provides information on interventions that may facilitate and speed the recovery process.