Public Health Response To Biological And Chemical Weapons

This is the second edition of this publication which focuses on the public health aspects of the possible deliberate use of biological or chemical agents. Issues discussed include: the key principles for public health planning, risk assessment, hazard identification and evaluation, risk management strategies, and response planning as part of existing national emergency plans, disease surveillance and early warning systems, the national and international legal framework, and international sources of assistance. Technical annexes cover a range of issues including chemical agents, toxins, biological agents, principles of protection, precautions against the sabotage of drinking water, food and other products, information resources and the affiliation of WHO Member States to the international treaties on biological and chemical weapons.

Printbegrænsninger: Der kan printes kapitelvis.

Ensuring a coordinated public health, laboratory, and medical response to a natural disaster, an accidental release or a deliberate use of a chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) agent is a high priority for all countries. This publication contains the proceedings of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Advanced Study Institute (ASI). The ASI, and this publication, provides NATO and its allies with ways to enhance their national preparedness and response plans to CBR threats. The recommendations should be of interest to clinicians, researchers, and other scientists motivated by special interest in public health preparedness, as well as by national and NATO leaders and policy makers who are positioned to make a difference. Public health response to emergencies requires extensive, coordinated, considered efforts of the combined military and civilian public health resources of all NATO nations and NATO Partner nations.

Perhaps the most frightening apparition of our times is the possibility that a biological agent (bacterim, virus, or toxin) will be used to attack our unprotected civilian population and inflict mass casualties. Until the Fall of 2001, anthrax attacks delivered through the mail to various U.S. senators, to the Governor of New York, and to various media offices, the previously expected use of a weapon of mass destruction against the United States has been a nuclear device that explodes or a chemical cloud that is set adrift. However, today, of all the weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical, and biological), the biological weapons are the most feared by many defense experts but these are the ones that our country is least prepared to deal with Like the concept of a "nuclear winter," the potential destructiveness of a biological attack can come in many forms and is presently very hard to detect and control, and its results could be catastrophic. The unleashing of biological agents against an unprotected civilian population also, in some cases, constitutes the ultimate medical disaster with the capability to completely overwhelm the present health care system. Patients might go to health facilities in unprecedented numbers and demands for intensive care could well exceed available medical resources. Discerning the threat of bioweapons and appropriate responses to them are critical if we are to prevent the devastating effects of bioterrorism.

The health and environmental impact of both conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction - nuclear, chemical, and biological - is described in chapters that cover the consequences of their production, testing, maintenance, use, and disposal. The negative impact of the proliferation of weapons and of the international arms trade, including the diversion of resources that could otherwise be allocated for health and human welfare, is also discussed. Separate chapters cover especially vulnerable populations, such as women, children, and refugees. In-depth descriptions of specific military conflicts, including the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, and wars in Central America provide striking illustrations of the issues covered in other chapters.

Katz provides a comprehensive guide for understanding and managing public health emergencies in an increasingly interconnected world. The globalization of the world's food supply and the speed and volume of international travel have increased communities' vulnerability to infectious disease, biological weapons, and new agents anywhere in the world.