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Public Health – Preparedness Program
Preparedness Planning • What Are Biological Warfare Agents? • Types of Biological Warfare Agents
Effects of Biological Agents • Facts About Anthrax • Facts About Smallpox • Facts About Botulism
Incubation Periods and Symptoms • What To Do • Public Health Preparedness Mission
H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic Preparedness
Public Health Preparedness Planning
Below is the Health Annex and hazard-specific plans:
Chemical Incident Response Plan
Information about disaster preparedness for your home can be found in English and Spanish.
More information on Public Health Preparedness can be found at CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response.
Provider Preparedness and Emergency Health Care Centers
Emergency Health Care Centers are planned throughout the community to serve as triage/trauma centers in the event of an emergency should Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center become overwhelmed with patients, having already diverted patients to other hospitals.
This PowerPoint presentation discusses staffing of these centers with medical providers and the County's response to such an emergency.
What Are Biological Warfare Agents?
Biological warfare agents are live microorganisms or toxins that can incapacitate or kill humans and animals and damage crops. To read more . . .
Types of Biological Warfare Agents
Pathogens are living organisms that can cause diseases in humans. Pathogens include bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and vary considerably in their lethality and physiological effects.
Bacteria are single-cell organisms that can be grown and developed by terrorists. Examples include Francisella tularensis and Bacillus anthracis, the cause of tularemia and anthrax.
Viruses are submicroscopic organisms that require living cells to produce and multiply. Variola major, the causative agent of smallpox, is a virus that could be used as a biological agent.
Fungi usually do not affect healthy individuals, but they can pose a significant hazard to plants, such as food crops. Cereal rust is an example of a fungal agent.
Toxins are also classified as biological agents even though they are nonliving substances. Toxins are metabolic by-products of living organisms, such as microbes, insects, snakes, and plants. Ricin, for example, is a toxin extracted from castor beans.
Effects of Biological Agents
The characteristics and effects of biological agents vary. Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of the plague, has the potential to inflict epidemics, while Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) spores can contaminate soil for decades.
Toxins can take effect within hours, and most are more deadly than the synthesized chemical nerve agents. Biological agents can be spread through the contamination of food and water supplies or by aerosol dissemination.
An example of food contamination would be the use of Salmonella typhii, which produces symptoms similar to food poisoning. Often initially misdiagnosed as food poisoning, biological agents pose a serious threat.
Facts About Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax most commonly occurs in hoofed mammals and can also infect humans. To read more . . .
See more on anthrax below.
Facts About Smallpox
Smallpox is a serious, contagious, and sometimes fatal infectious disease. There is no specific treatment for smallpox disease, and the only prevention is vaccination. To read more . . .
See more on smallpox below.
Facts About Botulism
Botulism is a muscle-paralyzing disease caused by a toxin made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. To read more . . .
See more on botulism below.
Incubation Period and Symptoms
Anthrax
Mild fever and fatigue, worsening to severe respiratory disorders, high fever, and excessively rapid pulse rate. Death can occur within 5-12 days of exposure if left untreated. Pulmonary anthrax is fatal more than 90% of the time. Incubation period is 1-5 days.
Botulinum Toxin
Initial symptoms include extreme weakness, nausea, headaches, and intestinal pain leading to respiratory paralysis that may cause death. Incubation period is 2-36 hours.
Plague Fever
Symptoms include headache and rapid heart rate followed by pneumonia and hemorrhaging of the skin and mucous membranes. Untreated plague pneumonia fatalities approach 100%, but early treatment can reduce mortality to as low as 5%. Incubation period is 2-3 days.
Smallpox
Sudden symptoms include onset of fever, malaise, headache, severe backache, and prostration. After 2-4 days, fever falls and rash appears. Scabs form and fall off at the end of the fourth week. Incubation period is 10-14 days.
Tularemia
Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and muscular pain. 30-60% mortality rate if left untreated; treated, the mortality rate is reduced to 1%. Incubation period is 3-5 days.
What To Do
Anthrax
Anthrax is not passed from person to person. You cannot catch it from someone else. If you suspect that you have been exposed to anthrax, and if you have recently developed these symptoms: fever, cough, headache, chills, weakness, difficulty breathing, and chest discomfort, remain calm and go to the hospital now.
Botulism
Botulism is not passed from person to person. You cannot catch it from someone else. If you suspect that you have been exposed to botulinum toxin and if you have recently developed these symptoms: double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness (starts with shoulders and descends through the body), remain calm and go to the hospital now.
Plague
Plague can be passed from face-to-face contact when an infected person coughs or sneezes. If you suspect that you have been exposed to plague, and or if you have recently developed these symptoms: fever, headache, weakness, and a bloody or watery cough, remain calm. If you live in Benton County, Oregon, call Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center Emergency Room (541-768-5021) and describe your symptoms. If you live outside of Benton County, call your local hospital emergency services and follow their instructions. Then, cover your mouth and nose with a surgical mask, scarf, bandana, tissue, or other available cloth and keep them covered. Avoid public places until you have been examined by a health care professional.
Smallpox
Smallpox can be passed from face-to-face contact when an infected person coughs or sneezes. If you suspect that you have been exposed to smallpox, and or if you have recently developed these symptoms: high fever, fatigue, headache, and backache, followed by a rash on face, arms, and legs, remain calm. If you live in Benton County, Oregon, call Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center Emergency Room (541-768-5021) and describe your symptoms. If you live outside of Benton County, call your local hospital emergency services and follow their instructions. Then, cover your mouth and nose with a surgical mask, scarf, bandana, tissue, or other available cloth and keep them covered. Avoid public places until you have been examined by a health care professional.
Tularemia
Tularemia is not passed from person to person. You cannot catch it from someone else. If you suspect that you have been exposed to tularemia, and if you have recently developed these symptoms: fever, chills, headaches, body aches, and weakness, remain calm and go to the hospital now.
The Mission of Public Health Preparedness
The mission of the Public Health Preparedness program is to do advanced planning to a threat, warning, or release of diseases or toxins in Benton County that could potentially be related to possible bioterrorist activity. To read more . . .
