States Should Update ‘Antiquated’ Public Health Laws to Deal with Threat of Bioterrorism, USA Today Editorial Says
The "confusion" among government officials after the recent anthrax attacks was not surprising given that the country was "unprepared for a biological attack," USA Today writes in a editorial. "More surprising," however, is that state public health systems have "yet to adjust in any comprehensive way," and instead are responding to the attacks with "piecemeal improvements." The editorial says that another attack with a different biological agent would likely cause "similar confusion." According to a CDC review of state public health laws, there are "critical failings" in most state programs, including the absence of "modern rules" for handling a quarantine or for rationing antibiotics or vaccines, the editorial notes. Also, the CDC found that no states required all cases of potential biological attacks to be reported to public health authorities, and even when cases are reported, the systems are "sluggish" in their response. The CDC has proposed model legislation for states that would correct the "weaknesses" in current law, but only a "handful" of states have considered the measures, the editorial notes. Instead, states are focused on redistricting and balancing their budgets. The editorial concludes: "Their priorities are skewed. The terrorist threat may be temporarily out of sight, but it should not be so far from legislators' minds" (USA Today, 1/3).
Government Must 'Do No Harm'
In an accompanying opinion piece, Dr. Robert Cihak, the former president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and Dr. Michael Glueck, who frequently writes about medical-legal health policy issues, say that the CDC's model legislation would "do more harm than good." The measure would extend powers to governors who declare public health emergencies that were previously found unconstitutional, such as the authority to force vaccination, seize and destroy private property and ration medical care. Creating such a "totalitarian government" would be much more dangerous and maybe "more devastating" than any attack, as such powers would "be abused more often than properly used." Noting that state and federal governments have more resources than terrorists, the authors write that "additional state power is unnecessary." They conclude: "Governments, like doctors, should 'first, do no harm.' And governments, like doctors, should avoid overtreating and harming citizens" (Cihak/Glueck, USA Today, 1/3). For comprehensive public health information from the CDC on anthrax and other bioterrorism issues, please visit www.bt.cdc.gov.
