CFATS Exercise Demostrates Technologies Role in Fighting Terrorism

The CDC thinks the threat of a human influenza pandemic has greatly increased over the past several years, because of the emergence of H5N1 avian flu strains. They just don’t know when. This morning at ESS EXPO.08, we held a session on “Planning for a Pandemic.” No one likes to think or plan for these kinds of emergencies, but the federal government has required that industry must use the information on both the CDC site and the Homeland Security site on how to go about this. We are trying to help our clients prepare for this. John Gargett, our product manager, led this session.

You would be surprised at how much preparation is involved. Food and agriculture, emergency services, national monuments and icons, chemical and hazardous materials, energy, emergency services, and transportation are only some the industries that could be involved.

The World Health Organization has a schedule of Alert States that goes in six stages, from no incidence, to many sick people. And our government has one, too — and they don’t coincide! There are response phases, however, during which you can respond and prepare. Gargett advises that you set a Google Alert for a pandemic alert period, and if you receive an alert for a pandemic in Thailand, you still want to start preparing. (There was a SARS alert in Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago, and people started leaving, which just causes more potential for transmission.)

Add comment April 14th, 2008