Addressing Bioterrorist Threats: Where Do We Go from Here?
Abstract
In discussing the threat of bioterrorism, planning, coordination, and preparedness are recurrent themes. State and local planning are of particular concern to me, having served as a local health officer and as health commissioner in New York City during the World Trade Center bombing. I have no doubts that the threat of terrorism within our borders is real. And several years later, when the sarin attack occurred in the Tokyo subway system, it was hard not to imagine what such an event would have meant in the New York subway system. A fundamental step toward addressing the threat of bioterrorism is comprehensive planning that focuses first and foremost on local preparedness and response capacity-integrating the role of state, regional, and federal governments, as well as state, regional, and national assets. To plan effectively, we have to think through the different types of scenarios that may confront us, including the announced release of a biological agent, the silent release of a biological agent, or some kind of hybrid event, such as having a bomb go off, that is followed by the release of a biological or chemical agent. In addition, we have to think about the scenarios where person-to-person transmission can occur or those with noncommunicable infectious diseases. Bioterrorism covers a very broad spectrum of concerns, from catastrophic terrorism with mass casualties, to microevents using low technology but producing civil unrest, disruption, disease, disabilities, and death. All these scenarios must be considered. We need to identify the assets and capabilities at all different levels and identify the gaps, critical players, policymakers, and stakeholders, and we must forge working relationships within the public health and health-care community as well as with outside partners.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA395331
Entities
People
- Margaret A. Hamburg
Organizations
- United States Department of Health and Human Services