This information been prepared by the Johns Hopkins
Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies.
Information specific to Sedgwick County has also been
included.
Does it make sense for me to put together an
emergency family plan and supply kit?
Yes. There are some helpful checklists of actions to
take during normal times that will allow you to act more
effectively during a crisis. At the end of this
document, you will find links to such checklists.
Some simple steps, such as devising a plan for
getting in touch with family members after a disaster,
are useful whether the event is a terrorist attack or
something more common like a hurricane, tornado, flood,
or snowstorm.
You should recognize, however, that some preparedness
items or actions that could prove valuable in some
emergency situations might not be useful in the special
case of bioterrorism. Bioterrorism is different from
terrorist attacks that involve explosives or chemicals.
How will I know when a terrorist attack has
occurred and what I should do to protect my family and
myself?
A bioterrorist attack is likely to be covert - we will
know we have been attacked only when people begin to get
sick and seek medical attention. Although some cities
have begun to deploy sensors designed to detect
bioweapons in the air, these systems are few in number
and are unproven technologies in urban settings. In our
judgment, it is far more likely that we will realize a
bioterrorist attack has occurred when doctors and nurses
diagnose the first victims of such an attack.
The Sedgwick County Health Department has established
a strong public health surveillance program and monitors
the other diseases of public health concern. In the
event of a confirmed Public Health emergency, residents
should always tune in to local media for
information and instructions. Additionally, Sedgwick
County's website will provide continuous updated
information related to the emergency.
Once a bioweapon is released, some time passes before
people infected by the bioweapon agent become ill. This
"incubation period" differs from one bioweapon agent to
another. For example, exposure to the anthrax bacteria
may cause symptoms as soon as 24 hours later; smallpox
symptoms typically don't begin until 9-14 days after
infection.
Protecting yourself and your family in the context of
bioterrorism will require that you listen for
information and advice from medical and public health
authorities. These are experts who deal with infectious
diseases everyday.
An explosion of any kind is immediately obvious, of
course. Similarly, a chemical attack is
also immediately apparent. Most chemical weapons act
within seconds or minutes - people in the vicinity of
the attack become obviously ill very quickly. If you
find yourself in the vicinity of such an attack, you
should quickly leave the area, moving upwind if
possible.
Will sealing windows with duct tape and
plastic sheeting help protect me during a bioterrorist
attack?
No. A release of a biological agent is most likely to
be "covert" - that is, terrorists will not announce the
attack before it happens or afterwards. This means you
would not know ahead of time to seal your windows and
prevent contaminated air from reaching you.
Duct tape and plastic sheeting can slow down the
movement air from outside to inside, but does not stop
such movement.
BE AWARE that using some non-electric space heaters
inside such sealed off areas can lead to dangerous build
up of carbon monoxide!!
Should I buy a gas mask?
No. A gas mask would only protect you if you were
wearing it at the exact moment a bioterrorist attack
occurred. A biological or chemical terrorist attack is
likely to occur without prior notice. To wear a mask
continuously or "just in case" a terrorist attack
occurs, is impractical, if not impossible. To work
effectively, masks must be specially fitted to the
wearer, and wearers must be trained in their use. This
is usually done for the military and for workers in
industries and laboratories who face routine exposure to
chemicals and germs on the job. Gas masks purchased at
an Army surplus store or off the Internet carry no
guarantees that they will work.
Should I purchase disposable masks as part of
a home emergency disaster kit?
Again, a bioterrorist attack will
likely be covert - so you will not know when to put on
the mask. By the time the attack is recognized - days or
even weeks after the release of the bioweapons agent -
it is too late to don a mask.
Paper masks offer little, if any, protection against
chemical weapons.
More generally, there may be disaster situations in
which it will be important to avoid breathing in
dangerous substances. For example, an explosion
may produce fine debris or toxic gases that can hurt
your lungs. Wearing a simple mask in such situations may
be helpful. Be prepared to improvise - use what you have
on hand to create a barrier between the air and your
mouth and nose.
There are different opinions as to what sorts of
barriers work best and there are few solid facts.
Anything that fits snugly over your nose and mouth,
including any dense-weave cotton material, can help
filter contaminants in an emergency. There are also a
variety of facemasks readily available in hardware
stores that are rated based on how small a particle they
can filter in an industrial setting. For the moment, you
have to decide what is best for you and your family.
It is very important that the mask or other material
fit your face snugly so that most of the air you breathe
comes through the mask, not around it. Do whatever you
can to make the best fit possible for children. Simple
cloth facemasks can filter some of the airborne
particles or germs you might breathe into your body, but
will probably not protect you from chemical gases.
Still, something over your nose and mouth in an
emergency is better than nothing.
If I decide to buy disposable masks, what
type should I buy?
There are many kinds of disposable masks.
About N95 masks: these are a type of simple,
inexpensive paper mask often mentioned in emergency
preparedness literature. The filtering ability of the
N95 mask - a measure of how much material can pass
through the paper in laboratory tests - is quite high.
N95 masks effectively protect against infection in
hospital settings in which health care professionals
have time to make sure the masks fit properly.
In the setting of civilian response to a bioterrorist
attack, it is not clear than an N95 mask would be any
more effective than other paper masks or provide more
protection than a cotton undershirt wrapped around the
nose and mouth. (Manufactured masks may, however be more
comfortable and more convenient.)
The reason for this is that paper masks often fail to
fit the face snugly, and a lot of air leaks in around
the edges of any paper mask instead of getting filtered
through the paper. This is why it is important to make
sure that any mask you use or create fits snuggly around
your face.
Should I have my own supply of antibiotics in
case there is a bioterrorist attack?
There are a number of different germs a bioterrorist
might use to carry out an attack. Many antibiotics are
effective for a variety of diseases, but there is no
antibiotic that is effective against all diseases.
Further, no antibiotics are effective against virus
germs. Thus, no single pill can protect against all
types of biological weapon attacks. Keeping a supply of
antibiotics on hand poses other problems because the
antibiotics have a limited "shelf life" before they lose
their strength. Antibiotics can also cause serious side
effects. They should only be taken with medical
guidance.
What can I do to protect my family and myself
during a bioterrorist attack?
Unfortunately, there is presently little that
individuals can do in advance to protect themselves from
a bioterrorist attack. However, there is much that
government agencies, health care institutions and public
health departments can and should be doing to improve
the capacity to protect the public following a
bioterrorist attack. Medical institutions and public
health agencies, in particular, have not received
adequate attention and resources to cope with disasters
like bioterrorism. Click
here for more information.
You can express your concern regarding adequate
protections against the potential threat of bioterrorism
to your elected officials and local leaders. Local
health departments have an important responsibility for
helping protect your community against outbreaks of
infectious disease, whether they occur in nature or
because of a malicious terrorist act. They can assist
you with additional bioterrorism-related concerns that
are pertinent to your own community. In addition, you
can contact your Congressional representatives to
discuss what measures the federal government is taking
to provide local authorities with adequate resources to
deal with national security threats.
Where can I go for further information on
citizen preparedness for terrorism?
Sedgwick
County Ready to Respond
Sedgwick County Emergency Management helps us prepare
for and be ready to respond to all types of disasters
including hazardous material incidents, airport
emergencies, severe weather events, or terrorist
attacks.
American Academy of Pediatrics
AAP's main terrorism page provides links to many
resources on chemical and biological weapons that deal
with the unique needs of children and families.
Guidelines for assembling a readiness kit for families
to use in times of crisis
American Psychiatric Association
Adobe Acrobat Reader Required
When Disaster Strikes: Managing Mental Health in the
Workplace.
This is a useful site for employers and interested
employees.
American Red Cross
American Red Cross Homeland Security Advisory System
Recommendations for Individuals, Families,
Neighborhoods, Schools and Businesses.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration
The Center for Mental Health Services' Disaster Mental
Health homepage
Disclaimer:
The Biodefense Center does
not necessarily endorse the entire content on these
sites; the links are provided merely as a service to its
web patrons. This advisory will be updated as necessary.
Protecting yourself and your family in the context of
bioterrorism will require that you listen for
information and advice from medical and public health
authorities.
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last update:
03/14/08
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