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Team fighting bioterrorism puts on a fresh battle faceCompiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, WASHINGTON -- Federal health officials have begun reorganizing their approach to fighting bioterrorism amid criticisms that the effort has been marred by mixed messages, bureaucratic infighting and lack of experience. In recent days, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has hired three veteran bioterrorism experts to run a new Office of Preparedness, instituted a daily conference call to coordinate his agency chiefs, appointed a liaison to the White House Office of Homeland Security and elevated a well-known infectious disease expert to a more prominent public role. The federal government's handling of the anthrax attacks has prompted criticism that officials failed to aggressively protect postal workers, has not adequately assisted the nation's network of overburdened laboratories and has yet to provide clear guidance on testing buildings for contamination or who should be treated with antibiotics. Most importantly, officials say they hope to repair a public communications strategy criticized for being convoluted and inadequate. "This is a new construct aimed at bringing together different people and activities so that we will be able to work more in harmony," said Donald Henderson, director of the new Office of Preparedness. Henderson, the founding director of the Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies at Johns Hopkins University, is best known for his campaign to eradicate smallpox worldwide by 1980. He will be joined by Phillip Russell, a retired Army major general who specializes in vaccine development, and Michael Ascher, who heads the state of California's bioterrorism effort. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who is well known to the public for his expertise on AIDS, already has taken over most major public appearances in an attempt to have a medical expert, rather than a politician, explain the nuances of biological warfare. CDC GETS A VISITOR: Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have complained for years about their World War II-era facilities, with leaky roofs, termite-chewed floors and bad wiring that last month delayed the anthrax investigation. But fears of bioterrorism have put renovations on a fast track. And today, CDC officials will be able to point out the shortcomings to President Bush as he tours their Atlanta headquarters, the first-ever visit by a sitting president. Congress is working on boosting funding for the CDC, which is based in Chamblee, Ga. -- Information from the Washington Post and Associated Press was used in this report.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
