A major health security exercise that put Public Health’s emergency response to the test wrapped-up today.  The three-day “Fire On The Horizon” training closed out with a mock press conference and hotwash for two separate outbreaks that has to do with mosquitoes. 

A full scale regional exercise wrapping up Friday for not one, but two outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases. The scenario simulated an outbreak of dengue and Japanese encephalitis, at the same time.

The exercise, in collaboration with the CDC and regional partners, had the Department of Public Health and Social Services employees, and even the director, responding to the simulated outbreaks. Public Health director Theresa Arriola said, "It was a full scale exercise that was very real. Like I was engaged and I had to drop everything and come to the table, come to the command center."

"We deployed our folks with the division of environmental health to do mitigation out in the community. As well as an exercise of patients that came into the Guam community health centers that showed symptoms."

Arriola says the fire on the horizon: Pacific health security exercise is a fitting name as “It’s not a matter of if, but when” another pandemic hits. 

"One thing is for sure, the Department of Public Health and Social Services and our partners always want to sharpen our skillset so that when the next pandemic happens, because it will happen, we will be ready to properly execute and communicate with the people of Guam and roll out our contingency plans," she added.

Though real reporters were not allowed to attend it, the third day started with a mock press conference. "It’s important because it’s all about communication. During the pandemic, the first thing we want to do is to assure the community that those in charge are actually handling the situation," Arriola said.

And it ended with a hotwash debriefing. The director says while there’s a lot of lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the training honed in on some gaps. "The one thing that is really needed is to continue having, on a consistent basis, an exercise like this. Skillsets are lost if we don’t constantly go over the plan over and over again," she said.

She says a major concern is in the government’s procurement process in procuring supplies. "How do we move the community and improve the process that when we need the vaccination, that when we need the supplies in the hospitals or in the divisions that are going out there doing mitigation, how do we ensure that the supplies and the procurement are readily available before a pandemic happens, and if necessary while the pandemic happens," she said.

In the meantime, Arriola reminds the community that both diseases are preventable, saying, "Wear mosquito repellent, long sleeves, make sure your environment in your house– there’s no water collection pots or buckets or tires or things of that nature that can breed mosquitoes."