Caledonia Argus

Just in caseó county ready for threat of bioterrorism

Posted: 2/19/03

by Andrew Miller
Argus News Reporter

Though authorities know of no terrorism threats to Minnesota, county officials have prepared for the worst, and public safety in the event of an emergency has been a focal point since the government raised the nationwide terrorist threat index to high on February 7.

Bioterrorism has been at the center of recent concern about attacks, and the possibility of chemical agents like smallpox, sarin gas, or ricin being used as weapons has prompted the active involvement of Houston County Public Health (HCPH) in the countyís emergency preparedness plan.

ìWe have a really good program in place now,î said Public Health Nurse and Bioterrorism Planner Kathy Fisby. ìPeople can rest assured that public health in the county is staying on top of things, and weíll be notified immediately if thereís a bioterrorist threat.î

After September 11, 2001, the government launched a program to mass produce the smallpox vaccine, and there is now enough of the vaccine to inoculate everyone in the nation, according to government officials. At the county level, protocols have been devised for inoculation in the event of emergency.

Unless thereís an outbreak in Houston County, inoculations are voluntary, and prior to an emergency, county health officials will follow a three-phase plan in administering the vaccine.

In the first phase, only two health care officials in the county get vaccinated. These two individuals volunteered for the vaccination, and have agreed to serve as the first responders to an outbreak. For security reasons, the names of these two first responders have been kept confidential.

Health care providers, fire fighters, law enforcement officials, and emergency medical staff can voluntarily receive the vaccine in phase two. In phase three, the vaccine is made available to the public and again all vaccinations are voluntary.

It has been the task of HCPH to establish plans for erecting inoculation clinics around the county should an outbreak occur. The time between when the county is notified of an outbreak and the time the clinics are fully functional should be a few days, according to county officials, which allows enough time for those exposed to receive an inoculation, since an individual has 2-3 days to get the vaccine after exposure.

The smallpox protocols are part of a multifarious plan HCPH has undertaken to prepare for bioterrorism. The federal government has given all states a grant for bioterror preparedness, and Houston County has used the funds to train public health officials in dealing with a chemical threat.

In addition, a statewide Health Alert Network, which allows health workers to receive up-to-the-minute information on potentially hazardous pathogen outbreaks, is being utilized. Once a health threat is suspected or identified, the Minnesota Department of Health sends out an alert to local agencies. Should HCPH receive such an alert, it would use the information to respond to the threat, and as events unfold, HCPH receives updates on the threat from state agencies.

No credible terrorist threats to Minnesota have surfaced, but should the botulism hit the fan, county officials have taken the necessary precautions.

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