Sept. 28, 2001

Public Health - Seattle & King County is providing the following information to help health care institutions and physicians prepare for a potential biological weapons attack. These recommendations were modified from those developed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies. Additional resources and links are available on the Public Health Bioterrorism web page: www.metrokc.gov/health/bioterrorism

Review all relevant disaster response plans and assure designated staff are familiar with their content and strategies.
Establish internal and external lines of communication. Assure that medical staff are aware of the need to report suspicious cases of illnesses to Public Health, and are familiar with how to report. Have in place dedicated staff, phones and fax machines to support rapid reporting.
Hospital leaders should work with Public Health to establish collaborative strategies for communicating with neighboring hospitals, civic leaders, and public health authorities.
Quantify pharmaceutical and antibiotic supplies, both at central and satellite facilities. Routinely update this list.
Assess routine staffing and emergency call-up plans and assure that these are supported with communication and transportation strategies. Routinely update the roster of essential personnel and contact numbers.
Maintain ongoing primary and redundant communication systems for use if phone and/or e-mail are inoperable.
Assure that appropriate health care professionals (emergency and urgent care department personnel, infection control and infectious disease professionals) are aware of the importance of reporting unusual disease presentations, disease clusters and atypical patterns of hospital use and how to report to Public Health.

Develop an increased awareness of the ongoing threat of bioterrorism.
Develop a working knowledge of the most likely and dangerous agents of biological warfare as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Resources are available through Public Health's bioterrorism web site, above.
Become familiar with relevant lines of communication, and important and emergency phone numbers (see below). This includes hospital epidemiologists and disaster response teams and public health authorities.
Monitor disease patterns and patient volumes in clinics and offices. Immediately notify the appropriate hospital authorities and Public Health if you suspect an unusual event or need medical guidance.
Patients can be referred to Public Health and the CDC public inquiry phone number (see CDC numbers, below) for information about infectious diseases and bioterrorism preparedness response efforts.
Please do not prescribe prophylactic antibiotics to the public for use in a potential bioterrorist attack. A number of physicians have received requests for prescriptions for antibiotics to be used in the event of a bioterrorist attack. It is neither recommended nor feasible to supply the public with personal stockpiles of antibiotics. The CDC maintains a National Pharmaceutical Stockpile that contains large quantities of antibiotics and medical supplies that could be distributed in the event of an epidemic brought on by an act of bioterrorism.

Public Health - Seattle & King County
(206) 296-4774; fax (206) 296-4803.
After hours, weekends and holidays call
(206) 726-2128.
If for any reason you are unable to contact Public Health, contact the Washington State Department of Health at (206) 361-2914.


Public Health's Disease Information Line (recorded information and updates:
(206) 296-4949. Click here to read the full text of the recorded message on bioterrorism.


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Public Inquiry Number
(800) 311-3435 or (404) 639-3534 or (404) 639-2807