States lack plans to deal with dead and wounded
States lack plans to deal with dead and wounded
Only 2 states proactive about keeping HCWs on job
More than 50% of Americans today live in states that do not have plans to deal with a large number of casualties in the event of a bioterrorist attack, according to a report by the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC. Only two states have plans to encourage medical personnel to report for work during an epidemic, the report found.
The report, "Biosecurity: A Comprehensive Action Plan," proposes several methods for alleviating the ineffectiveness of the current operating procedure for a flu pandemic or other catastrophic event at the local, state, and federal levels.
Only 15 states and/or cities have capacity
Currently, only 15 states and/or cities have the capability to administer stockpiled vaccines and other drugs on a large scale. However, many of these communities do not have adequate stockpiles of vaccines to disseminate to their citizens. States that do not have such safeguards in place are vulnerable to personnel shortages such as those experienced along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. A survey cited in the report found practicing physicians would misdiagnose anthrax, botulism, plague, and smallpox — all potential bioterrorist threats — an average of 47% of the time.
Since 9/11, the United States has spent more than $30 billion to counter the twin threats of biological weapons and natural emerging infections, such as pandemic influenza. Despite this investment, efforts do not add up to an effective biosecurity system for all Americans. The primary reason is a failure to connect the dots between plans on paper and the capabilities needed to implement them, the report concludes. Possible solutions cited in the paper include:
- Improve early warning systems for the detection of disease outbreaks and support advanced biomedical research to encourage the development of safe, cost-effective drugs capable of treating a broad spectrum of infectious diseases.
- Revitalize global efforts to prevent the spread of biological weapons and promote strong international standards.
- Strengthen the capacities of international public health agencies, such as WHO, to identify and contain diseases before they evolve into global threats.
- Address critical deficiencies in the nation's public health infrastructure. Preventive measures must extend to all Americans, not only for reasons of fairness but to safeguard public health and national security.
- Develop an emergency vaccination campaign to contain an outbreak of a contagious disease.
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