Editorial: Bioterror threats are all too real

Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2001 | 8:34 a.m.

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have spurred the federal government to take steps to prevent another series of deadly airliner hijackings. Tough measures should be taken to improve airline safety, but it is just as important that federal officials dramatically boost our defense against the possibility of other terrorist threats, including those posed by biological or chemical weapons.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said in an interview broadcast Sunday on "60 Minutes" that the U.S. is prepared for any kind of biological attack by terrorists, but Thompson may be trying to put the best face on a troubling situation. Last week the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, released a report that found the federal government's plan to respond to bioterrorism is neither well coordinated nor adequately funded.

The GAO concluded that the agencies assigned to oversee bioterrorism couldn't agree on which biological agents presented the greatest threat. And, as the New York Times reported Sunday, in a simulation of a terrorist attack conducted by federal officials in June, a single case of smallpox in Oklahoma City spread to 25 states and killed several million people. Eventually the government ran out of vaccine during the exercise.

Part of the problem in developing a sound defense against the bioterrorism threat can be traced to money. As the Washington Post reported last week, of the $343 million set aside annually for handling a biological attack, $113 million is allocated to protect soldiers in the field. That leaves $230 million for nonmilitary uses, which means that the federal government spends less than $1 for each U.S. civilian. Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Bill Frist, R-Tenn., are advocating that President Bush spend at least $1 billion so that health officials can effectively fight bioterrorism.

The United States has perhaps 15 million doses of smallpox vaccine available, but public health experts estimate that as many as 40 million doses would be necessary to fight a serious outbreak. There also is a concern that not enough doctors have received the training necessary to quickly diagnose a biological or chemical attack. That's why it's critical that there be a boost in public health funding so that physicians have the knowledge to make accurate medical judgments.

People shouldn't panic, but at the same time they should be concerned. President Bush has said that the war against terrorism will have to be waged on many fronts -- from winning on the battlefield to choking off the flow of money to terrorists. And at the same time a number of defensive measures at home must be given top priority, including more funding and better coordination in dealing with the threat of bioterrorism.