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Effectiveness of National Biosurveillance Systems
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In 2001, the United States experienced the effects of bioterrorism when envelopes containing anthrax spores were sent through the postal service to several different recipients, including two U.S. senators. It is likely that several thousand people were exposed to anthrax, with antibiotic prophylaxis widely prescribed for those whose exposure was known or suspected. The consequences of this event included five deaths from inhalational anthrax and another 17 inhalational or cutaneous anthrax infections, as well as substantial economic costs and significant operational challenges in public health and health care from the federal level down to the community level (Gursky et al., 2003). The experience with the anthrax letters combined with long-standing concerns about the threat of biological warfare to give new urgency to ongoing efforts to strengthen domestic biodefense capabilities. Overlapping the “biodefense” concept are related efforts to ensure the capacity to respond effectively to naturally occurring health threats that may arise, such as pandemic influenza or unfamiliar emerging infectious diseases. A presidential policy statement, Biodefense for the 21st Century (The White House, 2004), articulated four “pillars” of a national biodefense program: threat awareness, prevention and protection, surveillance and detection, and response and recovery.
National Research Council - Personal Name
978-0-309-13192-6
NONE
Healthcare Management
English
2009
1-31
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