CDC releases Interim Smallpox Response Plan
Local HCWs are the first line of defense
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta has released its "Interim Smallpox Response Plan and Guidelines," a working draft that outlines the CDC’s strategies for responding to a smallpox emergency.
The plan, which was developed in conjunction with state epidemiologists, bioterrorism coordinators, immunization program managers, and health officials, was sent to all state bioterrorism coordinators, state health officers, state epidemiologists, and state immunization program managers for review.
Steps to be taken are outlined
The plan outlines many of the public health activities that would need to be undertaken in the event of a possible smallpox epidemic (with the exception of mass vaccination because of the risk of side effects). Those activities include response plan implementation, notification procedures for suspected cases, what responsibilities fall under the CDC and state and local governments, and the CDC’s vaccine and personnel mobilization plans.
As part of the response plan, state, local, and private health officials are being asked to do the following:
- identify additional tools that would be useful to their state and local plans;
- identify and describe gaps in the overall plan, proposed activities, and guidelines;
- identify concepts, approaches, activities, or guidelines that need clarification or further explanation;
- assess the proposed strategies and guidelines with respect to state and local plans;
- assess resources and resource needs;
- identify additional elements, steps, or activities that should be undertaken in response to a smallpox emergency.
The plan also provides state and local public health officials with a framework that would be used to guide smallpox planning and readiness efforts as well as guidelines for many of the general public health activities that would be undertaken during a smallpox emergency.
In such an event, the most important public health priority would be to control the epidemic.
As part of this effort, local health care officials, including physicians, hospital personnel, and home health care employees, would be the first line of defense and must be trained to spot symptoms of the disease, verify the diagnosis, and respond appropriately.
To aid in this, the CDC has produced a series of forms to help health care workers track the source of a patient’s infection and symptoms. While designed to trace the path of a smallpox infection, the forms also can be used for other highly infectious diseases.
(Editor’s Note: Forms 4A and 4B, which are referred to in the insert, can be found and downloaded from the CDC’s web site at www.cdc.gov/nip/diseases/smallpox.)
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