New Homeland Security Department Could Improve Nation’s Response to Bioterrorism

A new Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security that President Bush proposed last week could improve the nation's response to bioterrorist attacks, according to several experts on bioterrorism, UPI/Nando Times reports (Mitchell, UPI/Nando Times, 6/7). The new department, which Congress must approve, would absorb operations, employees and funds from existing federal agencies, including parts of the CDC and the NIH. Under Bush's proposal, the department would have an annual budget of $37.5 billion and 170,000 employees (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 6/7). John Parachini, a policy analyst with RAND Corp., said that the new department would help by "improving public health surveillance, speeding the stockpile of key vaccines and looking at whether multipurpose vaccines are the way to go." He added that the new department also could "increase our ability to detect biological weapons attacks" with improved food and agricultural inspections.

Some Doubts
However, experts also said that the new department may not address "shortcomings" in the U.S. response to local issues in a bioterrorist attack, "and it is probably going to detract from them," according to R. Gregory Evans, director of the Center for the Study of Bioterrorism and Emerging Infections at St. Louis University. Evans said that local communities must "react within hours" to a bioterrorist attack, adding, "Establishing this new Cabinet-level department I am not certain is going to address that." Although HHS last week provided $800 million to states to improve their bioterrorism response, American Public Health Association Executive Director Mohammad Akhter said that "smaller towns are still going through their planning and implementing strategies." In addition, Akhter said that the new department may not share information with medical and public health officials. "If we know ahead of time what type of attack may occur, then we can adequately respond," he said (UPI/Nando Times, 6/7).