...Bad enough on its own but when combined with the reports of hospitals being overwhelmed you have to ask, what if something really, really big happened?That led to a personal refresher course on the responsibilities of the various levels of government—we'll have more on that later this summer— and a look at what other risks might be headed our way.
New York is one of the top two or three terrorism targets in the United States. How would the system respond if there were say 25,000 bioterrorism or biochemical terrorism victims in one day?
Or even 10,000?...
Which led to Southern Illinois University's School of Medicine:
Overview of Potential Agents of Biological Terrorism
During the Great Depression, Hans Zinsser, a bacteriologist and historian wrote that "Infectious Disease is one of the few genuine adventures left in the world."
"Infectious Disease is one of the great tragedies of living things - the struggle for existence between different forms of life . . Incessantly the pitiless war goes on, without quarter or armistice - a nationalism of species against species." Hans Zinsser- Rats, Lice and History (1934)
Infectious Agents as Tools of Mass Casualties
Bioterrorism , National Security and Law
Historical Perspective and Trends Related to Bioterrorism
Chronology of Anti-Bioterrorism (Biosafety) Actions (19).
Potential Biological Weapons Threat Repositories and Sources
The Threat of Biological Weapons
Types of Bioterrorism Attacks
Agents of Bioterrorism Attacks
Category A Agents
Plague
Category B Agents
Q fever
Brucellosis
Glanders and Melioidosis
Category B - Viral Agents of Bioterrorism
Category B - Biological Toxins
Class C Agents for Bioterroism
References
View Dr. Nancy Khardori's Presentation on Bioterrorism (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
Infectious Agents as Tools of Mass Casualties....MUCH MORE
Historically, outbreaks (wars) of microbial species against the human species have killed far more people than war itself. Examples include i) killing of 95% of Pre-Columbian Native American populations by diseases like small pox, measles, plague, typhoid and influenza; ii) death of 25 million Europeans (a quarter of the population) caused by Bubonic Plague in the 14th century and 21 million deaths due to the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 (1).Worldwide, naturally occurring infectious diseases remain the major causes of death. In the United States, the impact of a number of very virulent biological agents and/or their toxins has been drastically reduced because of a very accessible health care system and excellent public health infrastructure. Still, a substantial number of people (approximately 70,000) die each year from infectious diseases (2). The travel and trade necessary for economic globalization, continued potential for transmission of infectious agents from animals to humans, and large populations living in proximity in major urban areas of the world, make disease outbreaks a major threat. The resistance of common pathogens to the available antimicrobial agents adds significantly to the threat. Advances in public health, diagnostic and pharmacological interventions are needed to protect the population from emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. The global nature of infectious disease threats is well described in a statement prepared by Dr. David L. Heymann, Executive Director for Communicable Diseases, World Health Organization. This statement was presented to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, during a hearing on "The Threat of Bioterrorism and the Spread of Infectious Diseases" on September 5, 2001 (3).
Bioterrorism , National Security and Law
Bioterrorism has now been defined as the intentional use of a pathogen or biological product to cause harm to a human, animal, plant or other living organisms to influence the conduct of government or to intimidate or coerce a civilian population(4). Biological agents are easy to develop as weapons, are more lethal than chemical weapons, are less expensive and more difficult to detect than nuclear weapons (5). Diseases caused by biological agents are not only a public health issue but also a problem of national security. Two simulated biological attacks, Dark Winter (small pox) and TOPOFF (plague), in the United States demonstrated serious weaknesses in the public health system that could prevent an effective response to bioterrorism or severe naturally occurring infectious diseases (6,7,8,9,10). The intentional dispersal of anthrax through the United States Postal Service that followed the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, brought these issues into a clear focus.
The United States government began a process to strengthen the public health infrastructure. The need for law reform was recognized as law has long been considered as an important tool of public health (11).
The power to act to preserve the Public's Health is constitutionally reserved primarily to the states as an exercise of their police powers. Some states like Colorado and Rhode Island had developed legislation or administrative public health plans for a bioterrorism event prior to September 1, 2001. The Model Act was designed to update and modernize the state public statutes and to avoid problems of inconsistency, inadequacy and obsolescence. The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act (MSEHPA or Model Act) was drafted by the Center for Law and the Public's Health at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities at the request of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and in collaboration with members of national organizations representing governors, legislators, attorneys general and health commissioners (4,12).
This act provides state actors with the powers to detect and contain bioterrorism or a naturally occurring disease outbreak. The Model Act is structured to facilitate five basic public health functions i) Preparedness, comprehensive planning for a Public Health emergency; ii) Surveillance, measures to detect and track Public Health emergencies; iii) Management of Property, ensuring adequate availability of vaccines, pharmaceuticals and hospitals as well as providing power to abate hazards to the Public's Health; iv) Protection of Persons, powers to compel vaccination, testing, treatment, isolation and quarantine when clearly necessary; and v) Communication, providing clear and authoritative information to the public. The act also contains a modernized, extensive set of principles and requirements to safeguard personal rights. Based on MSEHPA, legislative bills have been introduced in 34 states and the District of Columbia. As of June 26, 2002, 16 states and the District of Columbia already have enacted a version of the act and the states enacting or expected shortly to enact legislation, influenced by the Model Act were Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia.....
Related, May 6: "Re/Insurance: "Berkshire Hathaway will write pandemic cover 'at the right price', Buffett says" (BRK)"
