Public health response to bioterrorism with Bacillus anthracis: coordinating public health laboratory, communication, and law enforcement.
In October 2001, public health departments across the United States were part of an intensive response to a bioterrorism event using anthrax spores delivered by mail. It is useful to examine this experience as an unscripted exercise of bioterrorism response capacity, more realistic than scenarios of planned exercises. The event particularly challenged public health laboratory and communications capacity, but it also tested surveillance and training capacity. The bioterrorism response demonstrated the importance of strong partnerships between the public health laboratory and emergency response agencies as well as medical providers and the usefulness of open, flexible communication strategies.
Nolan
Patricia A
PA
Rhode Island Department of Health, Providence 02908, USA.
Vanner
Cynthia
C
Bandy
Utpala
U
Banner
Gregory
G
Combs
Walter S
WS
Fulton
John
J
Hayes
Gregory V
GV
Jones
Kenneth
K
Marshall
Robert J
RJ
D000881:Anthrax / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001408:Bacillus anthracis; D023482:Bioterrorism; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007753:Laboratories / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D035846:Law Enforcement; D011635:Public Health Administration; D012237:Rhode Island; D014481:United States