The hypothetical scenario began September 9 when human-to-human cases of the H5N1 virus were identified in Singapore. On September 24, samples of the same virus, also known as avian flu, were sent from a central Iowa hospital to UHL after rapid flu tests were positive for five patients, one of whom has a history of international travel.

The fictional account continued the next day with cases of H5N1 reported in two states bordering Iowa, in states on the East and West Coasts, and in 80 countries. A county in the middle of the state also reported several positives for the H5 avian strain as part of the preparedness drill. Quarantines were instituted and Local Public Health Agencies (LPHA) notified.

Last Wednesday, this drama played out simultaneously in 15 different locations statewide, the largest full-scale and functional exercise to test emergency response and the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) systems in recent memory. The mock public health disaster assessed the responses of local and state emergency management and public health personnel, including UHL, during an outbreak of pandemic influenza requiring distribution of the SNS. The drill was sponsored by the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division.

"The Pandemic Influenza exercise at the State Emergency Operations Center or SEOC was a great success," reports Don Simmons, UHL program manager of environmental health and biomonitoring. "It was a valuable opportunity to work in coordination with public health, emergency management, the Department of Transportation, and several other state and local agencies to address a scenario of pandemic influenza in Iowa."

For more information about how individuals and families can prepare for emergencies, check out the three steps to preparedness online at http://www.bereadyiowa.org/BeRedCrossReady.pdf. More ideas are available at http://www.bereadyiowa.org/.