Public Health Emergency
Preparedness
January 5, 2002
(Atlanta, GA) – Ground Zero at 8:46 am on September 11, 2001 – Just
thinking of that day conjures up images we previously thought could have
only been in a Hollywood movie. Unfortunately, it is a dose of reality we
all must swallow. The families and friends of the victims are managing,
but they may not call it living. For the rest of us, we are grateful for
our next breath and hope that Osama Bin Laden and his colleagues will soon
be brought to justice.
If this horror was
not enough, we hear the word ‘anthrax’ and realize that some other
mentally challenged individuals have decided to kill more of the
population. Fortunately, if detected early, the survival rate is high.
The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has over fifty years of experience
with public health problems. The government and the CDC will play a
supportive role in epidemiological investigations, environmental sampling
and laboratory work for the state and local health departments. The
average risk of contracting anthrax is very small unless the individual
has been in a place of known exposure. The best way to protect oneself is
to learn more about the disease.
In addition, smallpox
has been discussed as a possible bioterrorism agent. The Variola virus is
the etiological agent of smallpox. The mode of transmission is
person-to-person via nasal, oral or pharyngeal mucosal membranes or the
alveoli of the lungs from close, face-to-face contact with an infectious
person. Smallpox vaccine is highly effective so vaccinations given during
the 1970s are still effective. The last naturally acquired case of
smallpox occurred in Somalia in 1977. The World Health Assembly certified
that the world was free of smallpox in May 1980. The production of
smallpox stopped in the early 1980’s. However, the new culture grown
smallpox should be available within 2 to 4 years. In the coming months,
the CDC is working with state and local health officials to create an
effective response plan to a smallpox emergency.
But, what is an
Epidemiologist? An Epidemiologist is a medical detective who uses certain
principles to understand possible causal links associated with diseases.
In other words, the ‘causal links’ are used to explain disease patterns
among populations. Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan, the CDC director, in
conjunction with other researchers, is furiously trying to answer
questions about anthrax and bioterrorism.
In the meantime, I
believe we can become better-informed citizens by doing our homework. If
you want learn more about what the CDC is doing, please visit the web site
at
www.cdc.gov. If you want to learn more about Epidemiology or wish to
pursue a career as an Epidemiologist. Please drop me a note via e-mail.
Sabrina E. Walton, MSPH
sabrinaw@mindspring.com
