Standardized emergency management system and response to a smallpox emergency.

The smallpox virus is a high-priority, Category-A agent that poses a global, terrorism security risk because it: (1) easily can be disseminated and transmitted from person to person; (2) results in high mortality rates and has the potential for a major public health impact; (3) might cause public panic and social disruption; and (4) requires special action for public health preparedness. In recognition of this risk, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LAC-DHS) developed the Smallpox Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Plan for LAC to prepare for the possibility of an outbreak of smallpox. A unique feature of the LAC-DHS plan is its explicit use of the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) framework for detailing the functions needed to respond to a smallpox emergency.

Anthrax attacks and practice patterns: a learning opportunity for health care systems.

Sudden and unexpected events directly influencing clinical practice patterns are uncommon. After the first report of bioterrorism-related anthrax, the authors studied retrospectively 13 months of anthrax-related antibiotic prescription rates for Veterans Affairs outpatients in one urban area where no cases of anthrax were reported. During the 26 days after the first anthrax report, the rate of acute respiratory illnesses treated with fluoroquinolones was 62.