Management

Biological Threats and Terrorism: Assessing the Science and Response Capabilities

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In the wake of September 11 and recent anthrax events, our nation’s bioterrorism response capability has become an imminent priority for policymakers, researchers, public health officials, academia, and the private sector. Experts from each of these communities and the Forum on Emerging Infections convened for a three-day workshop discussion—the subject of this summary—to identify, clarify, and prioritize the next steps that need to be taken in order to prepare and strengthen bioterrorism response capabilities. From the discussions, it became clear that of utmost urgency is the need to cast the issue of a response in an appropriate framework that captures the attention and understanding of policymakers and the public to garner sufficient and sustainable support for response initiatives. Such understanding would recognize that the protection of the nation’s health is essential to ensuring national and global security. There was much debate, however, on what constitutes an appropriate framework to deliver this message. No matter how the issue is cast, numerous workshop participants agreed that there are many gaps in the public health infrastructure and countermeasure capabilities that must be filled in order to assure a rapid and effective response to an- other bioterrorist attack. Many priorities for action—from encouraging antibiotic and vaccine research and development to educating first responders—were iden- tified and discussed. Throughout the workshop, there were repeated calls for partnerships, including interagency and interdepartmental partnerships in gov- ernment; and public-private partnerships that could harness the considerable power and knowledge of the academic community and industry at large.

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Series Title

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Call Number

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Publisher

: ., 2002

Collation

1-336

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

0-309-51025-2

Classification

NONE

Content Type

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Edition

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Subject(s)

Biological Threats and Terrorism: Assessing the S

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Statement of Responsibility

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