Bioterrorism: what can we do?
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Public health preparedness is a multifaceted planning process that becomes grounded in a response plan and in effective communications, internal and external. This article describes an incident when the presence of anthrax spores was detected in a postal facility within Kansas City, Missouri, and discusses the communications issues faced by the Kansas City Health Department (KCHD). This incident provided the KCHD the first opportunity to operationalize its Incident Management System-based response plan. However, accompanying its implementation were unforeseen issues related to both internal and external communications. These issues and the lessons learned are discussed.
In the context of a global war on terrorism experts have focused on the potential for a bioterrorist incident to cause widespread health and psychological consequences. Preparation is critical to improving the U.S. response to future bioterrorist incidents and educating the public is recognized as a vital part of this preparedness effort. Under a grant from the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA), researchers from a network of VA health care and research facilities initiated a program to develop and evaluate educational materials for veterans--including those with mental illness. This article describes the results of a series of focus groups with three veteran subpopulations of interest to characterize their concerns and information needs and summarizes the insights gained that helped guide materials development.
A comprehensive and timely response to current and future bioterrorist attacks requires a data acquisition, threat detection, and response infrastructure with unprecedented scope in time and space. Fortunately, biomedical informaticians have developed and implemented architectures, methodologies, and tools at the local and the regional levels that can be immediately pressed into service for the protection of our populations from these attacks. These unique contributions of the discipline of biomedical informatics are reviewed here.
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The recent anthrax attacks in the United States have demonstrated the reality of bioterrorist threats as well as the need for preparedness and planning to mount a successful response to such events. Medical practitioners have a key role in responding to bioterrorist activity because they can contribute to the timely recognition of an event and to the mitigation of morbidity resulting from a bioterrorist attack. The medical community needs to become familiar with how to recognize and manage diseases produced by the biologic agents that might be used by terrorists. This review summarizes the microbiological and clinical aspects of the agents of anthrax, smallpox, plague, and tularemia, which are all considered likely bioterrorist weapons.
Pharmacies and other types of health care facilities need emergency response plans. Pharmacists need to stay current on biologic and other agents that can be used as agents of mass destruction and their clinical management. Local plans should incorporate federal resources that can be used in emergencies, but the time required for these resources to be organized, delivered, and distributed needs to be considered. Pharmacists are urged to assist with inventories of available health care facilities, supplies, and medications. Planning needs to be coordinated with local emergency preparedness officials.
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BACKGROUND: The authors conducted a survey of dentists in Hawaii to assess their knowledge of, perceived readiness for and willingness to respond to bioterrorist (BT) events. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional study design to access a random sample (n = 240) of all licensed dentists residing in the state of Hawaii (N = 1,016), the authors mailed study participants an anonymous survey up to three times during June and July 2004. Knowledge-based questions were taken from accredited Internet-based free continuing medical education offerings. RESULTS: Of 234 deliverable surveys, 133 were returned (response rate of 56.8 percent). Only 2.3 percent of respondents reported having received prior BT preparedness training. A total of 14.5 percent felt able to identify and recognize a BT event, and 9.2 percent indicated they were able to respond effectively to a BT attack. A total of 73.8 percent expressed willingness to provide assistance to the state in the event of a BT attack. Dentists scored a mean of 62 percent correct (5.6 of nine questions) on the objective knowledge-based questions. CONCLUSIONS: A low prevalence of prior training coupled with a high degree of willingness to provide assistance indicates the need for additional BT preparedness training. This should be provided as continuing education offerings to practicing dentists and incorporated into the dental school curriculum. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Dentists have the basic knowledge and experience to perform a number of key roles in a BT event; however, additional training must be provided to develop BT preparedness competencies.
Vaccination programmes are very successful as a preventive strategy against many infectious diseases which have had a major impact on human morbidity and mortality. One of these diseases, smallpox, has been eliminated as a natural infection. The recent concern about biological attacks has turned attention to the use of an immunisation programme to prevent infection with what are considered the most significant potentially harmful biowarfare pathogens. This review puts into perspective the available information on current immunisation and newer vaccine options for anthrax, smallpox, tularaemia, plague and botulism.
Biofilms are highly ordered microbial communities enmeshed in a carefully sculpted matrix designed for survival of organisms either in multi- or mono-genus/species in a specific microniche. In human disease, biofilm infections are some of the most recalcitrant to treat. Even with rigorous antibiotic regimens, some biofilms, such as those within the thick airway mucus of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, persist throughout the course of the disease process. In this editorial, discussion will cover the utility of using advanced proteomic techniques to help identify potential weaknesses in the already impressive defensive armamentarium of biofilm bacteria. Two biofilm systems will be discussed herein, one of which is that of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms within CF airway biofilms. The other is referred to as persistent 'bioterrorist agent biofilms' in which Francisella tularensis can grow on surfaces where environmental amoeba can phagocytose them, allowing for growth of F. tularensis within the amoebae.