Simulated Release of Plague in Montgomery County, Maryland

Montgomery County, Maryland, a populous region in the metropolitan Washington, DC, area, is home to many military, government, and government contracting organizations and is therefore considered to be at increased risk for terrorist attacks, including those that involve the intentional release of pathogens. In September 2002, the county conducted an emergency preparedness and response exercise that simulated the release of the biological agent Yersinia pestis. APL assisted in the design of the exercise by determining the agent to be used, developing the release scenario, modeling the disease presentation in the population, and developing patient symptomatology. County health officials and hospital personnel used ESSENCE II, an electronic surveillance tool, to monitor health activity in the county and surrounding jurisdictions during the simulation.