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Joint base exercises for flu pandemic

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Danielle Johnson
  • 305th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MCGUIRE AFB, N.J. --  McGuire members teamed up with Army, Navy and other governmental agencies to prepare for the worst with a pandemic flu exercise here Dec. 19.

"This exercise brought together leaders of McGuire, Fort Dix, Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station and functional experts from county, state, regional and other federal agencies to begin planning on how all would work together in the event of a pandemic influenza," said Lt. Col. Wayne Korn, McGuire Public Health Flight commander.

For this exercise, the scenario involved an outbreak of avian flu infections. The fictional pandemic began with bird to human transmission of the H5N1 avian flu virus in Southeast Asia and escalated to extensive person-to-person transmission which eventually reached the U.S.

A study of the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 published by the American Medical Association concluded that the application of nonpharmaceutical interventions can greatly affect the severity of a flu pandemic. These methods include the quarantine and isolation of the sick, school closures and bans on public gatherings.

In the event of a flu pandemic, base officials would need to coordinate with local, state and federal agencies to determine which measure or combination of measures should be implemented to help prevent the spread of illness while allowing base and community operations continue. This exercise provided base officials an opportunity to discuss possible responses to a flu pandemic scenario to help ensure all are ready for the "real thing."

"This exercise was important because it gave us the opportunity to hammer out command, control, communication, interdependence and interoperability before the event," said Colonel Korn. "This will greatly facilitate our response to the event and reduce morbidity and mortality, in addition to keeping the mission going."

Though this exercise scenario dealt with a flu pandemic with possibly grave consequences, the threat of the flu is present everyday, especially during this time of year. Regular flu season began in October.

Base officials urge all eligible personnel and their families to get flu vaccinations and help prevent the spread of this common, yet potentially dangerous, illness.

Medical personnel also recommend using basic hygiene and prevention methods to prevent illness, such as frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes with the arm and frequently disinfecting commonly touched items such as keyboards and doorknobs.