Bioterrorism preparedness activities for the G-20 Seoul Summit
at the 2010 Meeting of States Parties, BWC Geneva, 6–10 December 2010
Republic of Korea
The G-20 Seoul Summit, in which 25 heads of state and 7 representatives of international organizations participated, was held in Seoul in November. The fact that eminent leaders from around the world would gather in one place made the Summit an attractive target for terrorists. Indeed, terror plots on European countries were detected.
Amid these threats, the Government of the Republic of Korea conducted various activities to strengthen our country’s counter-terrorism capacity, ensuring the success of the G-20 meeting.
(Establishment of Response Team)
To begin, the Bioterrorism Response Task Team was established under the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). All aspects related to bioterrorism were classified into 6 categories and taken care of by the respective task team. Every division of the infectious disease control department in the KCDC participated and accomplished their assigned missions. The 6 areas included mass casualty response, vaccination, detection of microorganisms, infectious disease surveillance, and public awareness.
(Strengthening the response capability)
During the G-20 Summit, several measures were also taken to strengthen on-site prompt response capability. First, a mobile command vehicle was dispatched to the site and operated throughout the meeting. The mobile command vehicle team monitored the surrounding area on a daily basis, and maintained a prompt response system. We also established a 24-hour hotline system consisting of designated hospitals, public health centers, and city health departments. During the Summit, this hotline system facilitated efficient emergency communication among various stakeholders.
(Strengthening the emergency syndromic surveillance system)
In addition, we enhanced the existing emergency syndromic surveillance system by increasing the number of hospitals enlisted in the system. A total of 90 emergency departments in Seoul, Keunggi, and Incheon regions reported day-to-day data to the control tower. To maximize the sensitivity of our surveillance system, we also provided various opportunities for education to the medical personnel participating in our system.
The education mainly focused on the Government's response plans and the characteristics of bioterrorism related diseases. In particular, we designed and conducted simulation exercises targeting ER personnels, based on various mock scenarios. The exercises contained response protocols for sample collection, reporting procedures, and infection control measures. Through these series of education programs, we were able to ensure that any outbreak of bioterrorism would be detected as early as possible.
(Strengthening laboratory response network)
Due attention was given to strengthening laboratory response network as well. In operating the laboratory surveillance system, hospital labs, public health centers, national quarantine centers, and the KCDC were categorized according to their biosafety levels and capability to identify sample materials. The laboratories were then given different roles based on their capabilities. This system facilitated the information sharing and sample transport. In order to strengthen lab response network the KCDC also arranged education programs on pathogen identification for lab technicians, and evaluated the response capacity of certain labs. Furthermore, we supplied reagents and other essential materials to the laboratories.
(Other additional efforts)
In addition, on this occasion, we published the smallpox response guideline and distributed it to all the relevant agencies and hospitals. The guideline helped responders to understand the nature of the smallpox outbreak and the role of all the parties concerned.
(Conclusion)
The G-20 Summit was a great opportunity to look into our capacity to respond to various risks related to bioterrorism. It also contributed to raising public awareness on the importance of terrorism preparedness. We strongly believe that the efforts made in the area of bioterrorism response will fortify our capacity in dealing with other outbreaks in the future. Thank you.
