Model Emergency Response Communications Planning for Infectious Disease Outbreaks and Bioterrorist Events

3rd Edition—Now includes Smallpox and SARS information

Now with a CD-ROM including Fact Sheets on bioterrorism hazards.

Model Emergency Response Communications Planning for Infectious Disease Outbreaks and Bioterrorist Events was originally developed in May, 2000 by a group of state and national experts, all engaged in promoting or preserving public health. Contributors included practicing public health information officers, laboratory staff, epidemiologists, national bioterrorism authorities, and state emergency response and disaster services personnel. This publication was expanded in October, 2001 to include the latest information on infectious disease threats, plus a CD-ROM of fact sheets and work sheets for responding to bioterrorism hazards. In May, 2003, information about smallpox and SARS was added.

This third edition is intended for a diverse group of state and local public health and emergency response officials, whose efforts must be coordinated on short notice to contain a deliberately planned or naturally occurring infectious disease outbreak. The model provides a framework for communications among public health officials, between health officials and other emergency response players, and directly with the public and the media.

Loosely modeled on the Emergency Public Information Annex described in the Federal Emergency Management AgencyÕs Guide for All Hazard Emergency Operations, the model addresses several important areas, as follows.

Situation and Assumptions

This section discusses the planning environment and lays out the general circumstances in which an emergency may arise. What infectious disease threats should we be prepared for? How will we know an outbreak is occurring? When should we suspect terrorist involvement? When should we activate the emergency response communications plan?

Operational Guidelines

These gudelines form the general plan-of-action to prepare for and respond to an outbreak. This section:

• proposes the formation of a "core working group" within the health agency to bring together various disciplines for strategic planning and information exchange
• defines the incident command system, joint information center, and unified command center
• discusses several essential preparedness activities
• presents a rough sequence of communications activities that should be initiated once an outbreak is detected

Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities

This section discusses the basic delegation of responsibilities for nearly three dozen emergency response players, including those involved in disease investigation and risk communication (outbreak management), care and rescue of outbreak victims (consequence management), and law enforcement/criminal investigation in the case of confirmed or suspected bioterrorism (crisis management).

In addition to the CD-ROM, the model is supplemented with a list of bioterrorism hazards, sample state forms and press releases, worksheets to document available channels of information dissemination, a roster of Internet resources, and numerous fact sheets on infectious diseases. It includes the complete text of an article entitled "Communicating the Threat of Emerging Infections to the Public," originally published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, July, 2000.

Developed under the auspices of the Association of State and Territorial Directors of Health Promotion and Public Health Education (www.astdhpphe.org) with technical guidance and funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and National Center for Infectious Diseases.

Other organizations that assisted the ASTDHPPHE and CDC in development of this resource were:

• Association of Public Health Laboratories
• Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
• National Emergency Management Association
• National Public Health Information Coalition
• State Public Health Emergency Response Coordinators