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HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
&
V o l u m e 1 , Issue 2
August 1, 2005
PUBLIC HEALTH
LaToya DuBose, Editor
Ida Parker, Executive Director
FUTURE TRAINING /
CONTINUING
EDUCATION TOPICS...
Mass Prophylaxis
Pandemic Influenza
Smallpox
Decontamination Procedures
Biological Threats
Biohazard Detection System
National Threat Levels
Ponder Points
• Emergency preparedness
should be a concern for everyone. How much do you
know about the preparedness initiatives that are taking
place in your community?
• First responders are required
to be trained on the NIMS.
Is your employer compliant
with this federal requirement? Are you one of the
individuals that needs to be
trained?
• Anthrax is not a new disease,
but has become a huge topic
in recent years. What has
caused the heightened awareness?
1145 West 5th Avenue
Gary, Indiana 46402
Dr. Adolphus Anekwe, Health Officer
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN INDIANA
In 2002, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), divided the entire state into ten Public Health Preparedness Districts. In 2004, the districts were re-aligned and renamed
Homeland Security Districts. The districts were designed to
assist state and local government in developing homeland
security plans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has allocated grant monies to fund emergency preparedness efforts nationwide. All health departments in Indiana
were given the opportunity to receive grant funds for the development of local preparedness plans and activities. With
these funds, local public health coordinators (LPHCs) were
hired.
The Gary Health Department is located within District One.
District One health departments include Lake County, East
Chicago, Hammond, Gary, LaPorte County, Porter County,
Jasper County and Newton County health departments. Because preparing for emergency situations requires extensive collaboration with other entities, the
Gary Health Department is affiliated with two major committees —the District One Public Health
Emergency Preparedness Coalition and the District One Bioterrorism Committee. Representation on
the District One Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coalition comes from health departments
within District One, ISDH and the Indiana Public Health Association. The District One Bioterrorism
Committee is comprised of representatives from the 13 hospitals within District One, local health
departments, Emergency Management, ISDH and other community entities. District-wide collaboration will allow for better preparedness planning and emergency response. An example of that being
the mutual aid agreements that have been instituted among the District One health departments.
Should an emergency occur that is beyond the scope of what the Gary Health Department can handle
solely, other health departments will come to offer assistance. Likewise, if an emergency happens
elsewhere within District One, the Gary Health Department could be called to offer assistance.
WHAT IS NIMS?
Developed by the Secretary of
Homeland Security at the request of President George Bush,
the National Incident Management System (NIMS) was developed to provide a procedure
that would help emergency
managers and responders from
different jurisdictions and disciplines work together more effectively to handle emergencies
and disasters. Most incidents are
handled on a daily basis by a
single, local jurisdiction at the
local level, often by fire person-
nel, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and law enforcement. But even for incidents that
are relatively limited in scope,
coordination and cooperation
among the responding organizations makes for a more effective
response. The NIMS integrates
effective practices in emergency
preparedness and response into
a comprehensive national framework for incident management.
The NIMS, which is a core set
of doctrine, concepts, principles,
terminology and organizational
processes, is applicable to all
hazards. It provides a set of
standardized organizational
structures such as the Incident
Command System (ICS) and
standardized processes, procedures and systems. These
processes and procedures are
designed to improve interoperability among jurisdictions
and disciplines in the various
areas of command and management, resource management, training and communications. The NIMS will enable
Page 2
Volume 1, Issue 2
“It is an
unfortunate fact
that we can
secure peace
only by
preparing for
war. “
John F. Kennedy
responders at all levels to work
together more effectively to
manage domestic incidents no
matter what the cause, size or
complexity. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security
has issued a directive stating
that all local-level agencies and
personnel with response roles
take the Federal Management
Agency’s Course - IS 700 National Incident Management
System, An Introduction, by
October 1, 2006. In addition,
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security advises all locallevel agencies and departments
to fully integrate the NIMS into
their overall response systems
by October 1, 2007. Federal
preparedness assistance will be
withheld from State, local or
tribal entities that fail to integrate the NIMS into existing
procedures by the given deadline. Full integration includes
formally adopting the NIMS by
the local government executive
through an executive order,
proclamation or resolution and
updating the emergency management ordinance, completing
a NIMS Baseline Assessment,
completing the required IS 700–
National Incident Management System (NIMS), An
Introduction Course, by the
appropriate personnel, developing and working within a
NIMS Implementation Strategy by following a timeline
for full integration and implementation of NIMS and working and functioning under
NIMS. The IS 700 course can
be taken free-of-charge and is
available online at http://
www.fema.gov/nims/nims
training.shtm. More information about the NIMS and the
requirements will be provided.
W HAT EXACTLY IS A N T H R A X?
Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by bacteria called
Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax
may occur is several forms.
Cutaneous (skin) anthrax, the
most common form of the disease, occurs when anthrax
spores come into contact with
skin that is broken, such as a
cut or sore. Cutaneous anthrax
is marked by an itchy, boil-like
lesion that eventually forms an
ulcer with a black center,
called an eschar. The cutaneous form responds very well to
antibiotics if treatment is
started soon after symptoms
appear. Gastrointestinal
(stomach and intestines) anthrax, the rarest form, occurs
when anthrax spores are ingested. The gastrointestinal
form may begin with abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea
and vomiting. Patients with
gastrointestinal anthrax should
receive antibiotics and intensive care in a hospital. Inhalation (lung) anthrax affects the
lungs and is a much less common form. Inhalation anthrax
occurs when a large number of
spores of a certain size are inhaled into the lungs. Inhalation
anthrax begins early on as a
“viral-like” illness characterized
by fever, muscle aches, fatigue
and cough. It may progress to
more serious symptoms, including shortness of breath, respiratory (lung) failure, meningitis
(infection of the spinal fluid), or
death. It is important that patients with inhalation anthrax be
treated with antibiotics immediately and receive intensive care
in a hospital. Is anthrax contagious? In the case of cutaneous
anthrax, open sore drainage
presents an extremely low risk
of infection to others. Inhalation anthrax is not spread from
person to person. Even if symptoms of inhalation anthrax are
experienced, the disease cannot
be spread to others, not even by
coughing or kissing. Symptoms
of anthrax may appear 1-6 days
Cutaneous anthrax, marked by an
eschar.
after exposure to the bacteria.
Since the bacteria can live for
a long time in the environment, symptoms may not start
for up to 60 or more days after
the bacteria was released into
the air. The treatment for all
forms of anthrax is antibiotics.
A 60-day antibiotic regimen
may be required depending on
the circumstances. As with
any antibiotic prescription, it
is important that individuals
take the full recommended
dose to ensure maximum effects.
Emergency Preparedness and Public Health was created to address issues related to
bioterrorism, emergency / disaster preparedness and public health.
If you have any comments or questions about the articles contained, if you would like
more information about a topic or if you would like a particular topic to be featured in a
future issue, please contact LaToya DuBose, Gary Health Department Public Health
Coordinator, at 219-882-5565 x19 or 219-629-9718.