Preparing for a pandemic

Camp Lejeune officials last week were hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

Military and civilian officials worked together through a plan to deal with a major disease outbreak. The scenario: pandemic flu hits Camp Lejeune.

Dr. Jane Cash, the leader of the "tabletop exercise" event, said pandemic flu would be devastating everywhere, but would particularly impact young, normally healthy people - like the population of Camp Lejeune.

"This is a hazard that affects everyone," she said.

Running through a disaster scenario allows the base to see its vulnerabilities, said Col. Richard Flatau, commanding officer of Camp Lejeune.

"This is the time to find those," he said. "We will prepare for the worst and pray for the best ... You can never be too ready."

Part of the exercise was integrating the civilian and military components to execute the disaster plan, said Steve Simmons, anti-terrorism officer for Camp Lejeune.

"It's a learning process," he said.

The plan has been developed over the past six months and once it is tested, it will serve as a template for other Marine Corps bases, he said.

Working with the civilian authorities is crucial, Simmons said, since a global flu virus certainly would not stay within the confines of base.

"The answer really is preparedness," he said. "That's what we're trying to do here today."

Keeping Marines and sailors healthy as they train for deployment, deploy and return is crucial, Cash said, but often they are in conditions that make it easier to spread disease.

Cash urged the participants in the exercise to get seasonal flu shots and wash their hands often to prevent spreading viruses.

"Everyone must stay vigilant," she said.

And while the exercise this week was based on a flu outbreak, she said parts of the plan could be used for other diseases as well.

Capt. Gerard Cox, commanding officer of the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital, said it was important to run through the steps the hospital would have to take in the event of such a large outbreak. A large influx of patients would have a major impact, he said, especially if hospital staff began to fall ill.

"It's better to be prepared for something that never happens than to be caught unprepared," he said.

Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467.