Israel conducts large bioterrorism drill
Israel conducts two-day bioterrorism drill — reported to be the largest simulation of a biological attack ever conducted; the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps, national Health Ministry, hospitals, and health clinics took part in the simulation which dealt with soldiers and others experiencing rashes, fever, and mouth lesions
Israel conducted a large-scale simulation Wednesday of a bioterrorism incident in the greater Tel Aviv area, Ynetnews reported. The Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps, national Health Ministry, hospitals, and health clinics took part in the simulation which dealt with soldiers and others experiencing rashes, fever, and mouth lesions. The two-day drill — reported to be the largest simulation of a biological attack ever conducted — included several instances of “contamination” in soldiers with an air force commander reportedly being named a possible casualty.
“There is a low awareness to the framework of biological warfare and this drill is meant to raise awareness,” Chief Medical Officer Brig. Gen. Nachman Esh said. “We are simulating a number of scenarios. The current drill is part of a perennial exercise, although we don’t have a concrete threat at the moment.”
NTI reports that medical personnel from multiple facilities administered treatment to the volunteer victims and gathered samples for laboratory analysis that determined that the patients had been infected with smallpox. Medical units categorized specific locations as “sterile zones.”
“We need to be ready for everything that can happen,” a high-level official who helped plan the simulation told the Jerusalem Post. “There are crazy people running around the world who, with the right materials and access to the Internet, can carry out such an attack.”
Someone duplicating the Saturday acid attack in Hong Hong, in which dozens of people were hurt when containers of the liquid substance were flung from a building, could not be eliminated as a possibility in Israel, the official said. “This is terrorism,” the official said. “There have been cases like this in the world and we need to make sure that the Israeli system works well and knows how to deal with such attacks.”
He added: “The trick is for the hospitals to be able to distinguish between the regular season illnesses and the people who are suffering from a biological attack that requires special treatment.”
