Although the Mayans themselves have denied that the world will end tomorrow, we wouldn’t throw away those canned goods and extra batteries just yet—especially if you live in DC.
A new report published by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says that 35 states and DC are not prepared enough to respond to health emergencies, including bioterrorist threats, disease outbreaks, and extreme weather events.
The report, “Ready or Not? Protecting the Public From Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism,” gave DC a score of five out of ten. The city scored points for response readiness, funding for public health programs, and emergency management. However, they failed in the areas of infectious disease control, vaccinations, and preparedness for extreme weather events.
Marylanders can feel a little bit better about the world ending, however, as their state scored an eight, making it one of the most prepared in the country. Mississippi, North Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin also scored high for health emergency preparedness. Virginia scored a seven out of ten.
Overall, 29 states cut public health funding in the past year, and only two states, Hawaii and Nebraska, have met the national goal of vaccinating 90 percent of young children against whooping cough. Washington state experienced one of the biggest outbreaks of whooping cough in 2012.
The good news is that while DC may not be the best place to weather the end of the world, the two states you really don’t want to be stuck in are far, far away: Kansas and Montana. They both received the lowest score: three.
The full report is available at healthyamericans.org.
