Infectious disease outbreaks and bioterrorism

Overview

Infectious viruses, bacteria, and fungi can make people or animals sick and cause disease outbreaks. These are known as “biological incidents” and may include infectious disease outbreaks (e.g., measles, mpox), emerging new viruses (e.g., COVID-19), or when deliberately caused, a bioterrorism event. Incidents can vary in scope and scale.

Emergency planning for biological incidences

Public Health – Seattle & King County Emergency Preparedness provides guidance for actions that Public Health and regional partners can take before, during, or after an emergency incident. The Biological Incident Response Annex to our emergency response plan describes roles and responsibilities, communication strategies, response coordination and decision-making in the event of significant disease outbreak. And although a bioterrorism event has never occurred in King County, the plan addresses bioterrorism so that we remain vigilant and ready to respond.

Biological Incident Response Annex (822 KB)