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Lessons Learned From Implementing an Incident Command System During a Local Multiagency Response to a Legionnaires’ Disease Cluster in Sydney, NSW

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2017

Emma Quinn ,
Travers Johnstone ,
Zeina Najjar ,
Toni Cains ,
Geoff Tan ,
Essi Huhtinen ,
Sven Nilsson ,
Stuart Burgess ,
Matthew Dunn  and
Leena Gupta
Emma Quinn
Affiliation:
Sydney Local Health District, Public Health Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Travers Johnstone
Affiliation:
Sydney Local Health District, Public Health Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Zeina Najjar
Affiliation:
Sydney Local Health District, Public Health Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Toni Cains
Affiliation:
Sydney Local Health District, Public Health Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Geoff Tan
Affiliation:
Sydney Local Health District, Public Health Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Essi Huhtinen
Affiliation:
Sydney Local Health District, Public Health Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Sven Nilsson
Affiliation:
Sydney Local Health District, Medical Officers Unit, Disaster Planning, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Stuart Burgess
Affiliation:
Environmental Health Unit, Burwood Council, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Matthew Dunn
Affiliation:
Environmental Health Unit, Strathfield Council, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Leena Gupta*
Affiliation:
Sydney Local Health District, Public Health Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Leena Gupta, Clinical Director Population Health, Director Public Health, Public Health Unit, Sydney Local Health District, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Level 9 North, KGV Building, Missenden Road, Camperdown, 2050 NSW, Australia. (e-mail: Leena.Gupta@sswahs.nsw.gov.au).
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Abstract

The incident command system (ICS) provides a common structure to control and coordinate an emergency response, regardless of scale or predicted impact. The lessons learned from the application of an ICS for large infectious disease outbreaks are documented. However, there is scant evidence on the application of an ICS to manage a local multiagency response to a disease cluster with environmental health risks. The Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit (PHU) in New South Wales, Australia, was notified of 5 cases of Legionnaires’ disease during 2 weeks in May 2016. This unusual incident triggered a multiagency investigation involving an ICS with staff from the PHU, 3 local councils, and the state health department to help prevent any further public health risk. The early and judicious use of ICS enabled a timely and effective response by supporting clear communication lines between the incident controller and field staff. The field team was key in preventing any ongoing public health risk through inspection, sampling, testing, and management of water systems identified to be at-risk for transmission of legionella. Good working relationships between partner agencies and trust in the technical proficiency of environmental health staff aided in the effective management of the response. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:539–542)

Keywords

LegionellaLegionnairesinfectious diseasesenvironmental exposureincident command system
Type
Report from the Field
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , August 2018 , pp. 539 - 542
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2017 

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