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The Mid-Michigan
District Health Department has developed a local response plan in the
event of a smallpox incident. The plan includes recommendations from the
Michigan Department of Community Health and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, and includes steps for the isolation and treatment
of suspected and confirmed cases, management of mass vaccination clinics,
and dissemination of information to the community.
 While this plan is for
mass smallpox vaccination, many elements of it are applicable to other
emergency-response situations. Although smallpox was declared globally
eradicated in 1980, there is concern that the smallpox virus may exist and
could be used as a bioweapon.
A single case of smallpox
is likely to represent an intentional bioterrorism event, and will require
an immediate and coordinated public health, medical and law enforcement
response to control the outbreak and to protect the public from any
additional release. Smallpox is a disease caused by a virus that is highly
contagious.
The key to controlling a
smallpox outbreak is to identify and isolate any smallpox cases to prevent
further spread of the disease. Close contacts of smallpox should be
vaccinated to prevent secondary cases.
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