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Updated Rundown of State and Territorial COVID-19 Mask Requirements

Blog,
Guam,
Ohio,

Several states and territories, as well as many local governments, are going beyond recommendations and requiring individuals to wear face coverings when they are in public settings and spaces (i.e. grocery stores, retail stores, ...

Domestic Holiday Travel Pandemic Restrictions and Recommendations

Blog,
Guam,
Iowa,
Ohio,
Utah,

The 2020 holiday season is coinciding with a nationwide surge of COVID-19 cases. With great concern that holiday travel to see loved ones may exacerbate community spread of the virus, many states are increasing public health measures ...

Ending the HIV Epidemic: 40 Years of Progress

STIs,
HIV,
Blog,

This June marked the 40-year anniversary of the first five cases of what later became known as AIDS reported in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Since then, more than 32 million people have died from the disease worldwide and ...

States Consider Expanding Scope of Flu Vaccine Policies

Blog,

The 2019-2020 flu season had approximately 5 million fewer illnesses than the previous year. Thanks to COVID-19 mitigation efforts like social distancing and increased handwashing—coupled with a higher rate of flu vaccinations among the ...

Policymakers Boosting Public Health Readiness for Respiratory Illness Season

Blog,
Guam,

Public health leaders are positioned to prevent illness from the "tripledemic” of COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV with approved vaccines and preventative antibody treatments.

Using Data and Effective Messaging to Support Strong Vaccine Policy

Blog,

States have largely dismissed weakening policies, but legislatures are likely to continue considering vaccine-related bills, which may allow public health leaders to work collaboratively toward improving vaccination rates and bolster the ...

ASTHO Policy Watch 2022: Ending the HIV Epidemic

Blog,
STIs,
HIV,

As part of ASTHO’s annual Legislative Prospectus series, we are taking time this week to focus on efforts to end the HIV epidemic. Public health officials across all levels of government have been working to end the HIV epidemic, exploring ...

State Legislative Activity Supports Federal Evidence-Based HIV Prevention Initiative

Blog,
STIs,
HIV,

Across the nation, public health agencies have mounted herculean efforts to stem the COVID-19 pandemic while addressing a pre-existing HIV epidemic and an opioid crisis that is serving as a source for many new HIV outbreaks. Tackling these ...

States Address Pandemic-Linked Learning Loss Among Students With Disabilities

Blog,

One of the major disruptions to daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was the rapid shift from in-person K-12 education to virtual learning. While necessary for social distancing and slowing the spread of disease, there is a concern ...

Who Are the Vaccinators? A Look at the Vaccination Workforce

Blog,

As the U.S. continues to undertake the largest vaccination campaign in almost a century, it has required government at all levels to surge workforce capacity. The federal government, states, territories, and local jurisdictions are acting ...

Preparedness Policy Highlights for Trending Public Health Threats

Blog,
Iowa,

While communities transition from emergency response to long-term monitoring and recovery, the federal government and states are taking legislative action to improve emergency preparedness capabilities.

State and Territorial Policies to Strengthen the Public Health and Healthcare Workforce

Blog,

Accompanying an infusion of federal funding, states are considering several policy changes to strengthen the public health workforce and address challenges within the health care workforce.

Isolation, Quarantine, and Public Health Authority Beyond the Pandemic

Blog,
Iowa,
Ohio,

Under the Tenth Amendment, states have the power to protect the health and welfare of their populations, including the authority to implement isolation and quarantine orders to limit the spread of disease. This post is an examination of ...

2022 Legislative Session Update: Part One

Blog,
Utah,

The ASTHO State Health Policy team provides brief updates on 5 of the ten state health policy issues to watch in 2022: public health authority, immunization, data privacy and modernization, public health workforce, and health equity.

Health Policy Tackles Joint Challenges of Pandemic and Natural Disaster Preparedness

Blog,

Each September marks National Preparedness Month. This year, public health emergency preparedness professionals look back on 20 years since the 9/11 attacks—the event that effectively launched the preparedness field—while actively ...

ASTHO Policy Watch 2022: Maintaining Public Health’s Legal Authority to Prevent Disease Spread

Blog,
Iowa,
Ohio,

States and territories have broad powers to protect public health and safety, including powers to prevent and control the spread of communicable disease typically exercised by state and territorial health departments. This authority is an ...

The Impact of Non-Medical Vaccine Exemptions on Childhood Vaccination Rates

Blog,
Iowa,
Ohio,
Utah,

As many state legislatures seek to expand vaccine exemptions, it’s important to understand the fundamental differences in exemption type and their impact on a community.

Modernizing State HIV Laws: Legislation to Prevent and Decriminalize HIV

Blog,
STIs,
HIV,

Though we’ve made progress on the number of HIV cases in the U.S, tens of thousands of Americans are diagnosed with HIV each year—a disproportionate number being people of color. In 2019, the federal government launched the Ending the HIV ...

How States are Handling School Vaccination Requirements in a Pandemic

Blog,
Ohio,

Conditioning school attendance on student vaccinations is an evidence-based way of maintaining and increasing vaccine coverage. State law establishes school vaccination requirements which apply not only to public schools but often to ...