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NATIONAL MEETINGS
BioSecurity 2003 Sounds Alarm on Continuing Threats"There are two messages our society needs to hear," said John Marburger to the audience at BioSecurity 2003. "We are vulnerable to bioterrorism, and we are not prepared." This second annual summit on national security in an age of bioterrorist threats was held from Oct. 20 to 22 and sponsored by HMS, HSPH, and Harvard Medical International.Marburger, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said "biosecurity and responses are the signature challenges of our times. The terrorist event of 9/11, followed by the anthrax incident, sent unambiguous messages." In addition to bioterror, he said, the ever-present and "depressingly traditional" threats of radiological, chemical, and nuclear attacks spurred the creation of the Department of Homeland Security to provide "eternal vigilance" against these dangers. Marburger referred frequently to Biotechnology Research in an Age of Terrorism, a report released recently by the National Academies and written by a committee including HMS faculty members Marc Kirschner, the Carl W. Walter professor of cell biology and chair of the Department of Systems Biology, and John Collier, the Maude and Lillian Presley professor of microbiology and molecular genetics. The conference opened with a keynote address by David Heymann, executive director of communicable diseases at the World Health Organization. The international outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) raised the world's awareness of emerging infectious diseases, he said, and increased the demands from world trade and travel that global surveillance networks aggressively report risks to public health and safety. For responders to a potential smallpox outbreak, some good news emerged from the quick response that limited SARS damage, Heymann said. Smallpox, like SARS, requires close personal contact for transmission and can be controlled through a strategy of "ringed containment." Susan Briggs, HMS assistant professor of surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, led a panel discussion on changing priorities of disaster response. Her recently published manual, Advanced Disaster Medical Response, Manual for Providers, offers a model for action. Communication during terrorism or in the face of natural disasters is critical to survivors and responders, said David Ropeik, director of risk communication at HSPH's Center for Risk Analysis. The media play a vital role in risk management, but when information is uncertain and pressure is on for rapid dissemination, the media can also drive fear with terrifying images. Ropeik defined risk communication as helping policymakers and the public understand the facts so they can put risks in perspective and make more informed decisions. Many presenters echoed a key theme: cooperation and collaboration. Law enforcement agencies, civilians, clinicians, EMTs, and volunteer organizations must work together rather than in competitive modes when disaster strikes. --Alison Harris and Tom Reynolds |
