AMA Publishing Group: Public and Environmental Health Topic Collection

The Boston Marathon Response Why Did It Work So Well?

Walls RM, Zinner MJ. — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

On Monday, April 15, 2013, Boston emergency medical services and other agencies transported scores of casualties to local hospitals within 90 minutes of the 2 explosions at 2:50 PM near the Boylston Street finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon. Brigham and Women's Hospital received 39 casualties overall, 31 on Monday, and 23 of these in the first hour. Many of these patients had severe injuries, including penetrating head and neck injuries and exsanguinating orthopedic blast injuries. Other trauma centers in the area received similar patients in similar numbers. Overall, only 3 people were killed by these explosive devices, and all 3 died before reaching the hospital. Not one patient who arrived at a hospital subsequently died. How did this happen?

Real-world Experience in the Midst of an Exserohilum Meningitis Outbreak Exserohilum Meningitis Outbreak

Thompson GR, Kontoyiannis DP, Patterson TF. — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The outbreak of invasive fungal infections among patients who received injections of contaminated methylprednisolone acetate from the New England Compounding Center continues.

Toxic Waste Sites

Friedrich MJ. — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Hazardous waste sites that contain elevated levels of industrial pollutants in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, where environmental regulations are few to nonexistent, pose serious health risks to local populations and are an underrecognized global health issue (Chatham-Stephens K et al. Environ Health Perspect. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1206127 [published online May 4, 2013]).