From July 25 to July 28, the City of Philadelphia will host the Democratic National Convention (DNC), the formal nominating event for the Democratic candidates for President and Vice President. During the week of the convention, several events are planned to take place throughout the City and there is the potential for additional demonstration, marches, and protests. Weather forecasts are predicting hot temperatures in the mid-90s for the week. Healthcare facilities should be prepared for both naturally occurring events that might result in increased illness, as well as the possibility of violence. Because of the heightened potential for terrorism and disease transmission, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health Division of Disease Control (DDC) recommends that healthcare facilities review their emergency response and disaster preparedness plans before DNC activities begin. Specific recommendations include:
- Evaluate facilities and personnel to ensure safety and security.
- Ensure that appropriate staff understand their roles in an emergency and communications protocols.
- Update clinical providers to respond to biological, chemical, and radiological agents.
- Information for clinical management and protection of healthcare workers is available online under the “Health Hazards“ heading at https://hip.phila.gov/EmergencyResponse.
- Additional resources may be found at http://emergency.cdc.gov/bioterrorism/ and www.atsdr.cdc.gov.
- Review procedures that address medical treatment of mass casualties, including decontamination protocols, the use of personal protective equipment, and triage protocols.
- Review procedures that address medical treatment of blast and bombing injuries.
- Information can be found at http://emergency.cdc.gov/masscasualties/blastinjuryfacts.asp.
- Prepare to treat individuals suffering from heat related illness.
DDC reviews data daily from multiple sources to facilitate the recognition of disease outbreaks. However, DDC relies on clinicians to report by telephone conditions that require immediate notification, including any outbreak or unusual presentation or cluster of disease. A list of reportable diseases and conditions in the City of Philadelphia is attached and available online at https://hip.phila.gov/ReportDisease/WhatToReport.
Indicators of naturally occurring outbreaks or possible biological terrorism are:
- An unusual temporal or geographic clustering of illness (e.g., persons who attended the same public event or gathering).
- Increase in serious lower respiratory illness with negative tests for common bacteria and viruses.
- Patients presenting with clinical signs and symptoms that suggest an infectious disease outbreak (e.g., >2 persons presenting with an unexplained febrile illness associated with sepsis, pneumonia, respiratory failure, or rash or a botulism-like syndrome with flaccid muscle paralysis, especially if occurring in otherwise healthy persons).
- An unusual age distribution for common diseases (e.g., an increase in chickenpox-like illness in adult patients).
- Single cases of disease due to uncommon, non-indigenous agents (e.g., anthrax, plague, tularemia) in patients with no history suggesting an explanation for illness.
- Large number of cases of acute flaccid paralysis with prominent bulbar palsies, suggestive of a release of botulinum toxin.
Call DDC to report conditions requiring immediate notification, or to obtain public health consultation. DDC will also facilitate diagnostic testing requiring public health laboratory services. During normal business hours, call 215-685-6740; after business hours, contact the DDC on-call personnel at 215-686-4514.
