Zarnaaz Bashir, MPH¹, James Ransom, MPH¹, and Lara K Misegades, MS². (1) Research and Evaluation, National Association of County and City Health Officials, 1100 17th Street, NW, Second Floor, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 783-5550, ext. 215, zbashir@naccho.org, (2) Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), 1275 K Street, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005

For more than two years, prompted by intentional biological attacks and threats such as anthrax and ricin and outbreaks of emerging infections such as SARS, monkeypox, and epidemic influenza; local and state public health agencies have focused on developing response plans and working with key community partners to confront public health threats and emergencies.

These public health agencies have developed dual-use response plans, which help prepare them for emergent health crises and simultaneously bolster their public health practice infrastructure to better provide more routine public health interventions such as newborn screening and control of vaccine-preventable diseases. They include plans to do mass vaccinations and prophylaxis, establishment of chains of command and decision-making responsibilities, development of horizontal and vertical communication strategies and materials, provisions for legal authority, and methods of providing comprehensive care. They also include training and educating the public, the media, other non-public health partners, and medical providers on particular agents or emergency events.

However, there are gaps in the preparedness plans. Ongoing developments include enhancing laboratory capacity to rapidly test for multiple agents or organisms for confirmatory purposes, developing appropriate treatment protocols, and building disease surveillance and data systems to track and monitor various events.

This paper will present specific case studies of local and state experiences with dual-use preparedness plans and how those plans helped with implementation of smallpox vaccination programs, SARS and other respiratory illness response plans, and most recently, epidemic influenza response activities.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this session, participants will be familiar with model local and state public health dual-use preparedness plans and understand how they’ve been operationalized in multiple jurisdictions.

Keywords: Local Public Health Agencies, Bioterrorism

Related Web page: www.naccho.org/project90.cfm

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.