Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107292

Deborah Levy, PhD, MPH¹, Sherline Lee, MPH¹, Freddy E. Gray, MPH, CHES², Will Artley, BA², Susan Dimmick, PhD², and Ram Koppaka, MD, PhD³. (1) Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop E-68, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404-498-1259, DEL7@CDC.GOV, (2) Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Mailstop 10, P.O. Box 117, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117, (3) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop E-3, Atlanta, GA 30333

A General Accounting Office (GAO) survey in 2003 suggested that urban hospitals are ill prepared for a major biologic event. The subsequent international Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic and the U.S. influenza outbreak emphasized the importance of infection control programs in the healthcare and public health sectors.

To evaluate the preparedness and response in these sectors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in partnership with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) conducted tabletop exercises in 2003-04 in eight US cities with quarantine field stations focusing on scenarios around the management of international passengers potentially ill with SARS. The scenario began with notification of the public health authorities from the flight and continued through the patient's entry into the healthcare facility. Participants included representatives from airlines, healthcare facilities, local, state, and federal public health agencies, and other federal partners such as Customs and Border Protection. Some of the problems identified included a lack of adherence to proper infection control practices, inadequate planning for exposure management of healthcare workers, jurisdictional issues among agencies, and unclear notification and communication channels.

Enhanced tabletop exercises dealing with an unknown respiratory disease are being conducted at the same locations in 2005 with epidemiologic, administrative, and jurisdictional decision trees built into the scenario to address the problems identified. The results of those exercises will be assessed with a standardized tool and presented at the conference.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify critical epidemiologic and administrative issues in the management of passengers with an unknown respiratory illness.
• Identify gaps in the public health and healthcare preparedness and response to the management of ill passengers.
• List components of infection control precautions necessary for a respiratory disease.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation