The CDC Awarded Northeastern University $17.5 Million To Develop An Infectious Disease Preparation And Detection Centre
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will award Northeastern University in Boston $17.5 million to direct an innovation centre devoted to the early diagnosis and prevention of infectious diseases. Northeastern Global News (NGN) of the university reports that the Centre for Advanced Epidemic Analytics and Predictive Modelling Technology, or EPISTORM, will “help detect and prepare the United States for the next outbreak of infectious disease , especially in rural areas.” The money will be used to organise the efforts of different consortium members across the United States in order to get local communities ready for outbreaks of RSV and seasonal flu. According to Northeastern professor Alessandro Vespignani, “if we can tell (hospitals) even one or two weeks in advance that the numbers will go up, that they have to make room for two or three more emergency or ICU beds, that could make a difference.” “For epidemics and epidemic threats, we want to be in a place with a...