What is mass prophylaxis?
Mass prophylaxis is the giving of medicine or vaccines to a large group of people to protect or stop them from getting a disease.
In the event of a public health emergency such as a disease outbreak, mass prophylaxis of the public will be done by local, regional and state public health departments working together. This will require the creation and management of mass clinic sites. Mass clinic sites are also known as mass dispensing sites or Points of Dispensing Sites (PODs). Medication or vaccine will be given out quickly and no one who does not want the vaccine will be forced to get it.
The Key Areas of a mass vaccination clinic may include:
- Triage or sorting sick or hurt people into groups so they may be taken to an appropriate facility;
- Greeter;
- Screening to make sure sick people are not in the same area as well people;
- Registration;
- Administration for vaccines or Dispensing for antibiotics (giving of vaccine or antibiotics);
- Waiting area or adverse reaction area (for persons with allergies to the vaccine or medicine);
- Exit; and
- Parking area or shuttle buses
Many health departments hold mass clinics to give immunizations or flu vaccine.
Some things you might see during mass prophylaxis:
- Information about the mass clinic on television, radio, newspapers, web sites, etc.;
- Many different agencies working together;
- Using colored vests or shirts and ID badges to identify staff and volunteers;
- Using different rooms in a large building or rope lines to organize the lines of people;
- Colored tape on the floor to direct the public; and
- Using large, easy to read signs throughout the site.
