Creating a robust disaster response plan is a primary responsibility of leadership in most public health organizations. There are significant considerations and constraints in crafting such a plan. In last week's activity, you described an organization or agency (and its partners) tasked with delivering vaccination services. In this assignment, you identify your priorities as the leader of that organization tasked with an initial response to a Monkeypox outbreak.
Preparation Make sure to read and reflect upon the resources on this topic in this week's studies and discussion.
Scenario Part 1: Leadership Response to a Monkeypox Outbreak. Imagine you are responsible for emergency preparedness and response for the organization that you identified in the previous activity. Several cases of Monkeypox have recently been reported in your area. You are concerned, very concerned, as this is a rare, virulent, and dangerous virus. In your role, you have been tasked with prioritizing actions that would inform an official initial response to the growing crisis.
Part 2 - Prioritizing Vaccine Distribution It has become apparent that the demand for vaccines is outpacing supply by a significant margin. You need to ration the doses. There are important considerations when faced with this scarcity. Many are ethical, but others such as logistics, risk, distribution (and its timing), and adoption, are pragmatic. You need to weigh these considerations (and more) as well as specific characteristics of the disease to make decisions. A tall order indeed . . . and time is short. What decision will you make? You know that you will have to justify your choices.
Instructions Part 1: Leadership Response to a Monkeypox Outbreak Consider the mission of your organization and the scenario and do the following in 2-3 pages:
List and justify the importance of your initial top 5 priorities to address the outbreak based upon information detailed in the scenario. Consider the mission, population, nature of the disease, access to medicine, et cetera. State any assumptions that you make (if any) that inform your decision. Justify your recommendation of 3 initial steps to effectively address ONE of your priorities (2-3 paragraphs). Cite supporting evidence to support your recommendation. Part 2: Prioritizing Vaccine Distribution Consider the scarcity of vaccines described in Part 2 of the scenario and other relevant factors to create a list that prioritizes who gets access to the vaccine. Do the following:
Justify your choice of 5 vital vaccine distribution criteria (Two examples would be population exposure risk or ease of distribution - there are many. Choose your own.) that would be effective for identifying populations for vaccine distribution. Apply your vaccine distribution criteria to justify prioritizing populations or groups (rank them 1-5) to receive the vaccine.
Sample Answer
Part 1: Leadership Response to a Mpox Outbreak
Organization Assumption: I will assume the organization is a Large County/City Public Health Department with the mission of preventing disease and promoting health for all residents, particularly focusing on equitable access to care and emergency response coordination.
Initial Top 5 Priorities and Justification
Given the scenario (rare, virulent, and dangerous virus, high concern, and an immediate need for an initial official response), the top five priorities for the Public Health Department are focused on rapid information gathering, containment, and communication.
Priority
Justification
1. Confirmed Case Surveillance and Contact Tracing
Goal: Containment and assessment of virulence. This is the most critical immediate action for an outbreak of a rare and dangerous virus. We must immediately identify the "index" cases, map the transmission network, and quickly isolate infected individuals. This informs the entire scope of the necessary response (e.g., assessing the reproductive number $R_0$).
2. Public and Clinical Communication Strategy Development
Goal: Information control and anxiety management. The public must receive unified, accurate, and consistent messaging to prevent panic and misinformation. Clinicians need urgent, clear protocols on testing, PPE, and treatment to prevent nosocomial spread and ensure proper triage.
3. Inventory Assessment and Supply Chain Activation
Goal: Logistical preparation. We must immediately quantify existing supplies of JYNNEOS vaccine (or similar), Tecovirimat (TPOXX) treatment, and specialized Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (e.g., N95 masks, fluid-resistant gowns) and activate state/federal supply chains (e.g., Strategic National Stockpile) for immediate replenishment.
4. Diagnostic Testing and Lab Capacity Scale-Up
Goal: Throughput and confirmation. Since the scenario emphasizes the virulence and danger, relying on clinical diagnosis is insufficient. We must ensure local commercial and public health labs have the reagents, training, and processes for rapid PCR testing (swab of lesions) to confirm cases and provide timely results for contact tracing.
5. Establishment of Dedicated Isolation and Triage Facilities
Goal: Healthcare system capacity protection. Since the virus is deemed virulent and dangerous, infected patients must be cared for in a manner that protects the general public and healthcare workers. This requires identifying and preparing specific isolation wards or non-hospital sites capable of managing highly infectious cases.
Initial Steps for Priority 2: Public and Clinical Communication Strategy
The chosen priority is Public and Clinical Communication Strategy Development. Effective, timely communication is essential to prevent both the spread of the virus and the spread of panic.
My initial three steps to effectively address this priority are:
Issue an Immediate, Unified Clinical Health Alert: The Public Health Director must issue a Level 1 Health Alert Network (HAN) advisory to all healthcare providers (including ERs, urgent care, primary care, and dermatology) detailing the clinical presentation (rash stages), the required PPE for patient assessment (Airborne/Contact/Droplet), the procedure for ordering PCR testing, and the required mandatory reporting protocol for suspected cases. This step prioritizes the protection of the healthcare infrastructure and ensures rapid diagnosis at the point of care. Supporting evidence from past outbreaks (like early COVID-19 and Ebola) shows that inconsistent or slow clinical guidance leads directly to healthcare worker infection and system overload.