Is the U.S. prepared for a bioterror attack?

the body, cleans that blood, and sends the purified blood right back into the bloodstream. Joyce says the device’s biggest benefit is that it can be used to counter different threats, rather than just one specific virus or disease. “The focus moving forward into the future is really broad specturm therapies that have the ability to address multiple strains of bioterror and pandemic threats,” he said. “If you were to talk to experts in bioterrorism, they would say it’s probably 50 to 70 viral pathogens that could be weaponized as an agent of bioterrorism.” In 2004 the Project Bioshield Act encouraged large pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines and countermeasures to a bioterrorist attack. Those companies mostly fell by the wayside because there would be little or no profit for those products. That provided an opening for companies like Aethlon Medical. In 2006 Congress granted more funding for products like the hemopurifier.

Terrorists and rogue regimes may be able to get their hands on biological weapons, but some weapons — for example, anthrax — are extremely difficult to weaponize. Also, the government is producing a growing number of vaccines and medicines to combat the threat. A more likely scenario is an outbreak of a naturally occurring pandemic disease. “The more we have an international economy and the more people travel the more they will be exposed to new organisms. And they’ll bring them back home,” said Julie Fischer, an expert on biodefense and global disease threats at the Henry L. Stimson Center in Washington. “Someone can get on a plane in Bangkok and be in New York 17 hours later. That’s not enough to build a defense. And as we learned from the SARS epidemic in 2003, it isn’t just people in rural areas that would be affected,” Fischer said. The SARS epidemic started in China and spread to at least 30 countries, including the United States. No vaccines existed and almost 800 people died after being infected. Fischer says a pandemic outbreak of the H5N1 strain of influenza, or bird flu, may be the next major threat on the horizon.

So is the United States prepared to deal with such a crisis? Since 2002, the Bush administration has spent billions preparing for the effects of a bioterrorist attack or infectious disease outbreak. The government wants to stifle any potential outbreak before it even starts. High-tech sensors have been installed in several American cities that can detect harmful airborne pathogens. Early detection may be able to save lives. At the end of the day, though, state and local governments may play the biggest role. “People can’t wait for the federal government to protect them,” Fischer said. “If there is a biological attack, or if there is a pandemic, people will have to take reasonable steps to take care of themselves. That means stocking up on water, canned goods, and medical supplies, and being aware of the emergency plan for your community.