With the recent increase in international exchanges and wartime situations in other countries, the necessity of preparing not only for emerging and variant infectious diseases but also for bioterrorism infectious diseases is growing. Bioterrorism is an act intended to potentially collapse society and aimed at killing or causing disease using viruses, bacteria, toxins, etc.

Anthrax, plague, smallpox, and botulism are representative bioterrorism infectious diseases. In the event of a terror situation, they can cause massive casualties and severe social chaos, making proactive preparation more important than anything else.

Accordingly, to protect the lives and safety of its residents, Chungcheongbuk-do plans to conduct the 2026 large- and small-scale bioterrorism preparedness training for first responders, centering on public health centers in cities and counties within the province. This training is promoted annually to improve the on-site response capabilities of first responders in the event of bioterrorism and to strengthen cooperative systems among related organizations, being conducted biennially for seven city and county public health centers at a time.

In 2026, the training will be promoted in seven city and county public health centers starting with Yeongdong-gun on September 29 and ending with Chungju on November 5, with a large-scale training especially being conducted in Eumseong-gun on October 22.

The large-scale training is a joint on-site training participated by public health centers, police, fire departments, and affiliated organizations as first-response agencies, assuming the occurrence of a bioterrorism incident. The small-scale training focuses on public health roles such as performing multiple detection kits and putting on and taking off personal protective equipment. ※ (Large-scale training) 1 location (Eumseong-gun, Oct. 22) / (Small-scale training) 6 locations (Yeongdong-gun, Sept. 29; Boeun-gun, Sept. 30; Cheongju Cheongwon, Oct. 15; Cheongju Seowon, Oct. 16; Jincheon-gun, Oct. 20; Chungju, Nov. 5)

Oh Sang-soon, head of the Infectious Disease Control Division of Chungcheongbuk-do, stated, "Since it is difficult to predict when bioterrorism will occur, maintaining a close, constant cooperation system among related organizations such as public health centers, police, and fire departments is more important than anything else," adding, "Through continuous education and training, we will continue to strengthen the capabilities and cooperation of bioterrorism response personnel and do our utmost to protect the safety and lives of our residents."

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