Public Health Officials Call for $10 Billion to Respond to Bioterrorism, Passes First Resolution on Terrorism

ATLANTA, Oct. 24 - The American Public Health Association today called on President Bush and Congress to provide $10 billion over the next five years for the nation's public health departments to prepare for and respond to the sudden surge in acts of bioterrorism. APHA officials said $1 billion is urgently needed now as state health departments anticipate spending $250 million to respond to this month's anthrax threats and exposures.

"The threat of bioterrorism is now a reality. Public health departments nationwide are not fully prepared to handle these growing bioterrorist attacks," said Mohammad N. Akhter, MD, MPH, APHA's executive director. "The demands to investigate these latest anthrax cases are rapidly outpacing our ability to act. We need urgent action on this funding."

A survey released this week by the National Association of County and City Health Officials found that almost a quarter (24 percent) of local public health agencies have no response plan for bioterrorism. The survey found only 20 percent have a comprehensive plan in place, while 56 percent have one under development.

During its meeting today, APHA passed a resolution to develop a Public Health and Terrorism Action Plan for the first time in its 129-year history. The resolution includes a call for providing training programs for public health workers and developing guidelines for the equitable allocation of vaccines, antibiotics and other resources.

"Our nation's leaders must realize we're in this predicament for the long run," Akhter concluded.

APHA's Annual Meeting features more than 900 sessions and some 3,000 scientific papers scheduled for presentation. Entitled "One World: Global Health," the four-day program of scientific sessions, round-table workshops, poster presentations and panel discussions allows more than 12,000 attendees to explore trends and enhance their knowledge about public health implications in a global setting.

The American Public Health Association, the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals, represents more than 50,000 members from over 50 public health occupations.