The exercise simulating a biological attack took place yesterday at Rambam Hospital in Haifa

This is the third exercise of its kind that has taken place in Israel since the establishment of the state, so far other exercises of this magnitude have taken place in Jerusalem and at the Laniado Hospital in Netanya. The exercise, called "Orange Flame 3", was large-scale and was entirely dedicated to dealing with the outbreak of a biological disease as a result of a terrorist attack or a natural disease

The exercise simulating a biological attack took place yesterday at Rambam Hospital in Haifa. This is the third exercise of its kind that has taken place in Israel since the establishment of the state, so far other exercises of this magnitude have taken place in Jerusalem and at the Laniado Hospital in Netanya. The exercise, called "Orange Flame 3", was large-scale and entirely dedicated to dealing with the outbreak of a biological disease as a result of a terrorist attack or a natural disease (such as SARS or bird flu).

In the exercise shared by the Home Front Command and the Ministry of Health, all security and rescue agencies took part, including the IDF, police, Home Front Command, MDA, CBA, the Health Bureau and all the health funds. About 1000! Participants took part in the exercise - including simulated casualties who frequented the emergency rooms, internal wards, biological sorting and the outbreak department. The hospital's laboratories and the security and transportation departments will take part in the event and contribute their share.

Liora Otitz, the emergency coordinator at Rambam, said that "since this is a possible scenario, we must do everything in our power to deal with the situation with a level head and be prepared for any possible harm." Otitz referred to the timing of the exercise and said: "We cannot ignore the problematic nature of the recent period in terms of the possibility of a terrorist attack. One of the types of terrorism that arouses great concern is biological terrorism. For us, it doesn't matter what the source of the threat is or where it comes from, we have to be prepared for any situation."

As mentioned, as the largest hospital in the north, with the only infection unit in the area, Rambam was used to being the site where there would be the largest load of applications from people suffering from an acute, unknown disease, in the first days of its outbreak. The exercise revealed a terrible truth: in an event of this type, there will be quite a few deaths (10 deaths were reported in the exercise, most of them young, but the estimates speak of dozens, and possibly even hundreds of deaths) before the cause of the disease is identified. In the exercise, we examined how the hospital's laboratories try to identify the cause of the disease, and the transfer of samples to the Biological Institute in Nes Ziona and to laboratories abroad - to identify the virus - was also practiced.

In an event of this type, the speed and thoroughness with which the hospital staff protects itself will be of enormous importance. In the exercise, the hospital staff were wrapped in special protective suits. The exercise demonstrated how essential computerized systems for monitoring patients and hospitalized patients are - also to locate patients who have returned home and may be carriers of a dangerous and contagious disease.