NCJ Number
195146
Date Published
November 2000
Length
339 pages
Annotation
This document examines the threat of bioterrorism and the proper public health and medical response in the United States.
Abstract
The United States is vulnerable to terrorist attack. Such attacks could entail the use of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) weapons. The United States has not been well prepared to deal effectively with this challenge. Biological terrorism would impose heavy demands on the Nation’s public health and health care systems. The public health system constitutes the first line of defense in the event deterrence or prevention of bioterrorism fails. A number of programs are underway to improve the health and medical dimensions of the national response to the threat of bioterrorism. There have been insufficient means to judge the efficacy of existing programs. The development and application of a strategic framework is needed. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) must devise a program for developing a national health surveillance system to provide early warning of bioterrorism incidents. Surveillance systems should establish and integrate automated disease reporting systems, syndromic surveillance systems, and automated data reporting systems. Physicians should be encouraged to take cultures and request laboratory analyses on a more routine basis to ensure that something unusual is not underway. Localities should develop prophylaxis and treatment plans that are phased or broken into escalatory segments. Properly training medical, public health, and emergency personnel is essential to a comprehensive detection, assessment, and response framework. Federal, State and local agencies need improved information infrastructure and cooperation. Government must form a partnership with the private sector in bioterrorism preparedness activities. The Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response program should be elevated to the level of the Office of the Director at CDC and provided with budgetary authority over the bioterrorism preparedness initiative. Footnotes, appendixes