TOPOFF 1- Bioterrorism Preparedness
State and local public health programs comprise the foundation of an effective national strategy for preparedness and emergency response. Preparedness must incorporate not only the immediate responses to threats such as biological terrorism, it also encompasses the broader components of public health infrastructure which provide the foundation for immediate and effective emergency responses. These components include
A well trained, well staffed, fully prepared public health workforce
Laboratory capacity to produce timely and accurate results for diagnosis and investigation
Epidemiology and surveillance, which provide the ability to rapidly detect heath threats
Secure, accessible information systems which are essential to communicating rapidly, analyzing and interpreting health data, and providing public access to health information
Communication systems that provide a swift, secure, two-way flow of information to the public and advice to policy-makers in public health emergencies
Effective policy and evaluation capability to routinely evaluate and improve the effectiveness of public health programs
Preparedness and response capability, including developing and implementing response plans, as well as testing and maintaining a high-level of preparedness
Lessons Learned from TOPOFF
While much progress has been made to date, a number of important lessons learned from TOPOFF have begun to shape plans about bioterrorism preparedness and response in the health and medical area. They are as follows:
Improving the public health infrastructure remains a critical focus of the bioterrorism preparedness and response efforts.
Local health care systems should expand their health care capacity rapidly in the face of mass casualties.
Local communities will need assistance with the distribution of stockpile medications and will greatly benefit from additional planning related to epidemic response.
Ensuring that the proper legal authorities exist to control the spread of disease at the local, state and Federal level and that these authorities can be exercised when needed. This will be important to our efforts to control the spread of disease.
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