NCJ Number
208518
Date Published
December 2004
Length
72 pages
Annotation
This report analyzes the Nation’s ability to respond to public health emergencies and identifies remaining vulnerabilities.
Abstract
Following the September 11th terrorist attacks and subsequent anthrax attacks, America’s public health professionals realized they needed to improve their capacity to respond to large scale public health threats. The first edition of “Ready or Not?” from 2003 found that 2 years following the terrorist attacks, most States had taken modest actions to protect their citizens but were far from ready to respond to a large scale health threat. The current edition of the report finds that overall in 2004 States are still struggling to meet basic preparedness requirements. Many of the basic bioterrorism detection, diagnosis, and response capabilities are lacking and States are struggling with inadequate resources. Almost one-third of States had to cut their public health budgets during fiscal year 2003-2004 and Federal bioterrorism funding was cut by over $1 million per State in 2004. Only six States have been deemed adequately prepared to administer and distribute vaccines and antidotes in the event of an emergency. Almost 60 percent of States do not have the staffing to manage tests for anthrax or the plague if there were to be an outbreak. Overall, coordination between Federal, State, and local health agencies is strained, mainly due to competition for scarce resources. Recommendations are offered to improve preparedness; these include the recommendation to conduct more drills on a routine basis in order to assess capabilities and vulnerabilities; limit liability to encourage vaccine development and to protect health care workers; and bolster the public health workforce through targeted recruitment strategies. Exhibits, tables, appendixes