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City of Santa Ana Emergency Operations Plan
<br />Part I Basic Plan
<br />2.4.10 Disease Outbreak/Pandemic
<br />Disease Outbreak Definitions
<br />A widespread disease outbreak with significant morbidity and mortality is one of the primary public health
<br />concerns of the 21st century. Vaccines, antibiotics and improved living conditions resulted in dramatic declines
<br />in communicable diseases in the latter part of the 20th century, and while transmission of communicable diseases
<br />still occurs on a daily basis in every community, most instances are not of the severity or magnitude to be
<br />considered an emergency. However, infectious diseases remain a threat to all persons in the City due to a variety
<br />of factors, including:
<br />• Population growth (denser populations, aging, migration),
<br />• Methods of food production (widespread importation and distribution),
<br />• Environmental changes (climate change, encroachment of humans on wild areas),
<br />• Microbial adaptation (resistance to antibiotics, genetic mutations),
<br />• Changes in health care (drugs causing immunosuppression, overuse of antibiotics), and
<br />• Human behavior (travel, diet, compromised immune systems, failure to receive immunizations).
<br />An outbreak, epidemic or pandemic, or the introduction of a novel disease, could pose a large threat to the health
<br />of the community. A disease outbreak arises when the incidence of disease within a specific community or
<br />geographical area during a specified time period (e.g. flu season) exceeds what would normally be expected. An
<br />outbreak may occur with:
<br />• A single case of a disease long absent from a population (e.g. smallpox),
<br />• A disease organism, bacterium or virus not previously recognized in the community or geographical area,
<br />• A previously endemic disease for which immunity has decreased due to lack of recent circulation and/or
<br />decreased immunization rates, or
<br />• The emergence of a previously unknown disease within a community.
<br />An epidemic occurs when a disease outbreak becomes widely established in the community or geographical area,
<br />and a pandemic occurs when the disease becomes prevalent in multiple regions, nations or continents. Outbreaks
<br />may occur naturally or can be introduced intentionally through bioterrorism. Outbreaks may last for a few days,
<br />weeks, or for several years.
<br />Disease Outbreak Threats
<br />According to the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA), the diseases currently of concern for outbreak
<br />in Orange County include:
<br />• Influenza, including seasonal, novel and/or pandemic influenza strains,
<br />• Childhood vaccine -preventable diseases such as measles and pertussis,
<br />• Foodborne illness, including norovirus, salmonella or E. Coli,
<br />• Vector -borne viruses such as West Nile Virus (WNV) or Zika, and
<br />• Novel, emerging pathogens, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Coronavirus or Ebola.
<br />Influenza, including Seasonal, Novel, and/or Pandemic Influenza Strains
<br />Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by a variety of influenza viruses. Although most flu illnesses
<br />are mild and are similar to the common cold, severe cases cause on average more than 200,000 hospitalizations
<br />and up to 49,000 deaths each year in the United States, primarily among older persons or persons with chronic
<br />health conditions. In Orange County, severe influenza cases (defined as persons who have influenza and are
<br />admitted to the intensive care unit or die) in persons less than 65 years of age are reportable. Orange County has
<br />reported as many as 57 severe influenza cases, with 21 deaths, in one season during the annual outbreak period.
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