Name:
Behavioral Health Disaster Response
Credits:
1.5 CMEs and 1.8 Nursing Contact Hours
Prerequisite:
N/A
Description:
The presentation on bioterrorism agents will include a general overview of the Category A agents, including anthrax, botulism, plague, smallpox, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers. The overview will cover the characteristics of each agent, clinical description, reservoir, transmission, incubation period, infectious period, and general epidemiological features, such as the distribution or incidence in populations. The presentation will provide information regarding the reporting requirements and laboratory services available for confirmation. It will also identify the specific infection control measures for each agent, including the applicable isolation and quarantine requirements to contain person-to-person spread. The presentation will also identify the supporting role of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in outbreak management. Educational materials, such as relevant fact sheets for each agent, will be distributed.