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Flu vaccine problems highlight bioterrorism difficulties

Emergency Management Alert, December 9, 2004

Problems producing the flu vaccine this year has raised questions regarding the US government's ability to counteract bioterrorism with vaccines, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Experts say the nation is vulnerable to terrorists striking with a deadly bioweapon, like anthrax or plague.

"I do think a lot has been accomplished considering where we were a couple of years ago but there's still a long, long way to go," Charles Bailey, MD, executive director of the National Center for Biodefense at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, told the Tribune.

The unsolved anthrax attacks from 2001 prove that bioterrorism attacks can be effective, the Tribune says. "It's not rocket science to generate these agents and disseminate them," Bailey said. "Some of these terrorist groups are believed to be capable of doing that. I'm very concerned about it."

Among some of the problems is the nation's unorganized public health network. Many state and municipal offices lack adequate computer and communication technologies.

There is also a lack of vaccines to prevent outbreaks and treat victims of bioterror attacks, which will likely take years to fix.

The flu vaccine shortage has recently underscored bioterrorism vaccine production. But a recent survey of experts in the field found the government's efforts will not "produce the countermeasures the nation needs for a truly effective biodefense." The review was conducted by researchers at Sarnoff Corp., a technology and consulting company based in Princeton, N.J., and at the Center for Biosecurity of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

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