Countermeasures and Mitigation

Getting Medicines and Supplies Where They Are Needed

Countermeasures and Mitigation involves dispensing and administration assistance to targeted population(s) to prevent, mitigate, or treat the adverse health effects of a public health incident. This capability focuses on dispensing and administering medical countermeasures, such as vaccines, devices, antiviral drugs, antibiotics, and antitoxins. 

Capability 8:  Medical Countermeasure Dispensing and Administration

  • Revises the Capability 8 title, definition, and content to account for both the dispensing and the administration of medical countermeasures, such as vaccines, antidotes, and                 antitoxins
  • Adds content and resources to account for potential radiological or nuclear exposure
  • Broadens the network of dispensing and administration sites to include pharmacies and other locations

Capability 9: Medical Material Management and Distribution

  • Broadens the cold chain management guidance to include all aspects of storage and handling
  • Expands recovery activities to incorporate proper handling and disposal of infectious, hazardous, or contaminated materiel and waste
  • Accounts for security and inventory management tasks that occur throughout the entire distribution process

Capability 11: Nonpharmaceutical Interventions

  • Focuses on collaboration by expanding suggested partners for implementing nonpharmaceutical interventions
  • Supports establishment of community reception center processes to enhance ability to respond to radiological and nuclear threats
  • Highlights management of mass gatherings (delay and cancel) based on all-hazards scenarios

Capability 14: Responder Safety and Health

  • Incorporates the need to securely manage responder data
  • Improves responder on-site management, tracking, in-processing, and out-processing
  • Reprioritizes hierarchy of control and promotes the alignment of responder safety and health control measures, for example, personal protective equipment, with jurisdictional           risk assessment findings

Public Health in Action: Fight Flu TN Impact Statement: Tennessee County Health Departments Provide Free Flu Vaccines Across Tennessee

Medical Countermeasures

MCMs

Strategic National Stockpile

The Emergency Preparedness program distributes medicine and medical supplies in the event of a disaster. These items often come from the Strategic National Stockpile, a supply of emergency items. The SNS supplies antibiotics, vaccines, antitoxins, chemical antidotes and medical/surgical items. SNS materials are designed to supplement and re-supply state and local public health resources, as well as other health care agencies in the event of a national emergency. The EP program continues to receive high ratings from the CDC for its level of preparedness to receive the SNS during an act of bioterrorism or a mass casualty event.