How Ready is Indiana for an Outbreak of Smallpox?

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks (R-IN) hosted a biodefense tabletop exercise simulating an European smallpox outbreak and exploring the implications of the outbreak on stateside response activities in Indiana. Over 35 attendees including representatives from local health departments, first responders, homeland security officials, healthcare professionals, and others, participated in today's exercise. The simulation was led by Dr. Craig Vanderwagen, RADM, USPHS, the founding Assistant Secretary for Preparedness & Response at the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for preparing the United States for response and recovery from natural or manmade health disasters.

"I want to thank all of our attendees for their enthusiasm and insights during today's exercise. The risks to Indiana and Indianapolis from a biological threat, like smallpox, are real. Today's exercise was an opportunity to test our instincts and protocols for an outbreak in a safe and risk-free environment. Hopefully the relationships and understanding we gained from this exercise will help us respond more effectively in the face of a real biological threat to Hoosiers."

During the exercise, participants were asked to make decisions about how to respond to a series of events, beginning with a single case of smallpox in Europe. Of all the threats to our national public health, smallpox is probably the greatest. It is highly infectious, even more so than Ebola, and has a high mortality rate. Although a vaccine exists, very few Americans born after 1980 have been immunized. In recent months, the threat of terrorist organizations, like ISIS, using biological weapons, like smallpox, has become a growing concern. As the events in the simulation unfolded, eventually leading to a worldwide outbreak of smallpox, participants were asked to choose the best course of action to protect the health and safety of Hoosiers. Fishers is the fourth community in the world to conduct this tabletop exercise.

"I think what we learned today is that there is no easy answer when it comes to effective and responsive biodefense, but with good preparation and widespread public awareness of the risks, we can protect our national security and public health. In Congress, I am focused on improving our national biodefense strategies and systems, including incentivizing vaccines and treatments for deadly and dangerous diseases that pose significant threats to our public health. Prioritizing efforts to protect our country from biological threats will provide the certainty and support our local partners need to effectively prepare for and respond to future outbreaks."

Brooks has been leading efforts in Congress to act on the 33 recommendations presented last fall by the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense. Last year, she introduced legislation to incentivize the development of vaccines and therapies for deadly and dangerous diseases before an outbreak occurs. H.R. 3299, the Strengthening Public Health Emergency Response Act, was co-sponsored by Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA). Additionally, Brooks co-sponsored legislation with Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) that would add Zika virus to the FDA Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher Program. H.R. 4400 was introduced on February 1, 2016.

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