We measured sensitivity and timeliness of a syndromic surveillance system to detect bioterrorism events. A hypothetical anthrax release was modeled by using zip code population data, mall customer surveys, and membership information from HealthPartners Medical Group, which covers 9% of a metropolitan area population in Minnesota. For each infection level, 1,000 releases were simulated. Timing o...

HYPOTHESIS The public health system has a specialized body of knowledge and expertise in bioterrorism and public health emergency management that can assist in the development and delivery of continuing medical education programs to meet the needs of emergency medical service providers. METHODS A nationally representative sample of the basic and paramedic emergency medical service providers i...

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is an emerging threat as a means of bioterrorism. Accordingly, the Working Group on Civilian Biodefense, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has specified Y. pestis as a prime candidate for use in bioterrorism. As the threat of bioterrorism increases, so does the need for an effective vaccine against this potential agent. Ex...

The city of San Antonio, Texas, and the Fort Sam Houston Army Post conducted a bioterrorism response exercise to test the command infrastructure in a large tabletop exercise. A number of local, state, and federal agencies participated in the exercise. The scenario, program format, and multiple lessons learned from this experience are described. Needs for additional services, planning, and legal...

In government—and particularly in the federal government—ideas normally come from the bottom up. When finally approved, proposals are reasonably well thought out in terms of what we are going to do and why we are going to do it. Sometimes knowledge of “what” we are going to do far exceeds the ability to explain why we are going to do it. However, for bioterrorism we are better able to talk abou...