Nuclear attack preparedness in the U.S. is the topic of discussion at a public meeting scheduled by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Jan. 16 in Washington, D.C.
News of the event comes amid growing concerns of a nuclear attack as the topic bounces back and forth between President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un.
Most recently, Trump caused controversy after responding to a statement made by Kim, who was threatening to use his nuclear arsenal, UPI reported.
"North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the ‘Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,'" Trump said in a tweet. "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"
Days later the CDC announced its public meeting.
"While a nuclear detonation is unlikely, it would have devastating results and there would be limited time to take critical protection steps," the notice read, adding that "planning and preparation can lessen deaths and illness."
Bert Kelly, a spokesman for the CDC, said that the event had been in the planning since last April, and was simply part of the agency's routine work to ensure the public health community was prepared for health threats, The New York Times noted.
However, Edwin Lyman, a senior scientist with the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Newsweek there may be more to the planned meeting.
"I think the political context of why they're doing it now is pretty clear," he said. "So now they're holding out the possibility that there's an effective way to protect against it if it happens. … It looks like a bit of a PR move."
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