Mass vaccination at Job Corps a 'clinic' in bioterror readiness

Health officials did more than give antibiotics and vaccinate roughly 1,500 people two weeks ago when two Job Corps students came down with a potentially fatal infectious disease.

They put the state's bioterrorism-preparedness plan to an impromptu test. And came through stunningly, health experts agree.

On May 11, after two students were identified with Neiseria Meningitidis, health officials from Davis County and the state decided they had to conduct a mass vaccination and antibiotic clinic at Job Corps. In less than a day they had gathered the materials they needed, including more than 1,500 doses each of antibiotic and the vaccine.

By noon the next day, they had the drugs and the equipment and started a process that would over two days see 1,200 people get antibiotics and 1,400 receive vaccinations. Many got both, according to Christy Porucznik, epidemic intelligence service officer at the Utah Department of Health.

"It's amazing how fast they were able to put all this together," said Porucznik, who added she doesn't remember a comparable effort that came together so quickly.

Since 911, bioterrorism preparedness has been a major focus for health departments nationwide, the efforts funded in large part by two federal bioterrorism grants. Combined, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant and the Health Resources and Services Administration grants for Utah total $8.5 million. One of the requirements is that local health departments conduct drills.

What looks like a large flu shot clinic or mass hepatitis vaccination effort may also be such a drill, said Cody Craynor, a risk communication coordinator for the Utah Department of Health. And while those help health experts prepare should large-scale bioterrorism or a major outbreak occur, they're also planned somewhat in advance.

What happened in Davis County was preparedness on the hoof, all those prior "practice" events coming together fast to address a major health concern quickly, said Davis County Health director Lewis Garrett.

The post-9/11 sense of urgency has pointed out how complicated such undertakings can be, Garrett said. "It's a big deal when you think about the logistics of administering (medicine) to a population on a short timeline," he said.