Exercise Overview
Exercise Benefits / Facts
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The New Jersey South Region Healthcare Coalition undertook an initiative to conduct an infectious disease exercise designed to provide hospitals, long-term care facilities, community health centers, home healthcare agencies and other ESF # 8 healthcare providers with the opportunity to assess current plans while gaining additional knowledge as to how to response to an infectious disease.
This exercise served as an opportunity for the management and staff that make up the region’s healthcare providers to work through scenario information and injects dealing with the numerous challenges associated with responding a SARS outbreak.
Exercise Scenarios
In late October June an outbreak of unusually severe respiratory illness was identified in a small village in southern China. At least 25 cases occurred affecting all age groups; 20 patients required hospitalization, five of whom have died. Surveillance in surrounding areas was increased resulting in new cases being identified throughout the province. Viral cultures collected from several of the initial patients were positive for a type of pneumonia.
Samples of the virus are sent to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for further characterization. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determines that the samples are the virus associated with previous outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Awareness Videos
Access an informative Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) awareness video.
Exercise Conclusion
The Overwhelming Outbreak Exercise was conducted on April 24, 2018, at locations throughout southern New Jersey.
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This exercise is an example of the kind of exercises that comprise the nationwide Caduceus Shield Exercise Initiative. This initiative provides meaningful exercise opportunities for America’s health system.
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