Pneumonic plague outbreak tests Keesler's response during exercise

Airman 1st Class Jeremy Walkes, 338th Training Squadron, signs a patient administration form with the assistance of Staff Sgt. Consuelo Patterson, 81st Medical Support Squadron, after receiving “medication” for his “symptoms” during a disease contaminant plan exercise Feb. 23, 2012, at the Vandenburg Community Center, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Pneumonic plague outbreak tests Keesler's response during exercise

Tech. Sgt. Holly McCune and Master Sgt. Tasha Thomas, 81st Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron, sort candy that represents prescription drugs to be given out to “patients” during a disease contaminant plan exercise Feb. 23, 2012, at the Vandenburg Community Center, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Pneumonic plague outbreak tests Keesler's response during exercise

Senior Airman Joshua Hoover, 81st Training Wing command post; Airman Basic Ian Shoup, 338th Training Squadron, and Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Riordan, 81st Medical Group Navy and Marine Corps liaison, fill out patient administration forms during a disease contaminant plan exercise Feb. 23, 2012, at the Vandenburg Community Center, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Pneumonic plague outbreak tests Keesler's response during exercise

Capt. Brandon Shealey , 81st Medical Support Squadron team chief for patient administration, and Robert Tash 81st MDSS emergency management coordinator, direct the patient administration area during a disease contaminant plan exercise Feb. 23, 2012, at the Vandenburg Community Center, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Keesler puts disease containment plan to test

Published Feb. 29, 2012
By Steve Pivnick
81st Medical Group Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The exercise conducted Feb. 23 was designed to test the 81st Training Wing's Disease Containment Plan for mass prophylaxis point of dispensing and was a first for the Air Education and Training Command.

Mass prophylaxis is the ability to protect the health of the population by stopping the spread of disease during a public health emergency such as a plague.

The exercise scenario called for several 81st Training Group Airmen to have been sprayed with an unknown agent while attending the Feb. 21 Biloxi Mardi Gras parade. The next day, they reported to the student health clinic and 81st Medical Group emergency room with various symptoms. When test results showed an airborne disease had affected the Airmen, public health officials declared a public health emergency, which included Keesler. As a result, the scenario called for the 81st Medical Group to activate the disease containment plan and the decision was made to treat the base population with prophylaxis. A mass prophylaxis POD was then set up at the Vandenberg Community Center in the Triangle.

"The DCP goal was to process 500 patients per hour through the POD. We exceeded that; I will put the final number who processed through the POD averaging at 720 per hour. We had almost 140 volunteer 'patients' from various 81st TRW units and the medical group as well as family members, including an infant," said Robert Tash, 81st Medical Support Squadron medical emergency manager for plans and exercises.

"Patients" cycled through the POD several times to meet the goal.

"The (81st Medical Support Squadron) Medical Logistics Team mobilized seven pallets of home-station medical response material specifically for this event. This included crowd-control and patient-flow equipment, easels, administrative supplies, medication-dispensing equipment, personal protective equipment and color-coded identification vests," Tash said.

Col. (Dr.) Paul Nelson, 81st MDG chief of aerospace medicine and public health emergency officer, advises the 81st TRW and 81st MDG commanders during situations when medical issues, including disease, could impact the base's mission or the base population's health.

"The 81st TRW Exercise Evaluation Team provided outstanding support in advance exercise planning with our 81st MDG planners. The 81st TRG provided a large number of students to participate as roleplayer patients. The Vandenberg Community Center staff was essential and assisted with advance planning and making their building available for the POD. The 81st Logistics Readiness Squadron provided a forklift and flatbed truck and the 81st Security Forces Squadron furnished the medical group security team with metal detectors. And the 81st MDG supplied role-player volunteers and exercise participants," Tash said.

"This is an 81st TRW plan with medical support. It was a robust exercise in command and control and disease containment demonstrating the ability for medical personnel to rapidly provide medications to prevent the spread of serious public health threats. The exercise showed how well we work together," Nelson said.