炭疽病侵袭生物恐怖主义教育的传播媒介(上)
WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (Reuters Health) - As a week of anthrax scares on Capitol Hill and around the country comes to a close, US health authorities are striving to keep information about bioterrorism flowing, even when there is not necessarily any new information to provide.
Transparency about the health aspects of the attacks seemed to be goal as public health officials held numerous briefings for reporters both on and off Capitol Hill. The briefings were geared more toward allowing for question-and-answer session time with journalists than offering information on new developments.
, 百拇医药
Sen. William Frist (R-TN) has been using his position as the Senate's only physician to lead twice-daily briefings for reporters on the anthrax testing taking place at the Capitol complex. Twenty-eight persons are now confirmed to have been exposed to anthrax, down from 31 earlier in the week. More specific biological testing ruled out three persons who originally showed evidence of exposure, health officials said Friday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stopped offering nasal swab testing on the Hill, after determining that no one is at risk beyond the 3,900 people already tested.
, 百拇医药
Meanwhile some public health experts and law enforcement officials are coming to view the anthrax events--which have resulted in one death and a handful of actual infections--as something of a dry run for future bioterrorism events.
"It cannot help but make us more prepared," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Anthrax attacks on Capitol Hill in Washington and in other cities have amounted to "nuisance attacks" that helped authorities get a handle on how to respond effectively, said Dr. William J. Martone, a former CDC scientist who is now senior executive director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
, 百拇医药
The public is now familiar with once arcane concepts such as nasal swabs and may have a greater understanding of vaccination and public health response than it did before this week. Government health authorities have had the chance to exercise their response procedures in real time.
"On the other hand, we've had a death, and we've had a baby get this," Martone said in an interview. He was referring to the newspaper worker in Florida who died last week of anthrax after handling a tainted letter and to a 7-month old baby who contracted skin anthrax at ABC News headquarters in New York., 百拇医药
Transparency about the health aspects of the attacks seemed to be goal as public health officials held numerous briefings for reporters both on and off Capitol Hill. The briefings were geared more toward allowing for question-and-answer session time with journalists than offering information on new developments.
, 百拇医药
Sen. William Frist (R-TN) has been using his position as the Senate's only physician to lead twice-daily briefings for reporters on the anthrax testing taking place at the Capitol complex. Twenty-eight persons are now confirmed to have been exposed to anthrax, down from 31 earlier in the week. More specific biological testing ruled out three persons who originally showed evidence of exposure, health officials said Friday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stopped offering nasal swab testing on the Hill, after determining that no one is at risk beyond the 3,900 people already tested.
, 百拇医药
Meanwhile some public health experts and law enforcement officials are coming to view the anthrax events--which have resulted in one death and a handful of actual infections--as something of a dry run for future bioterrorism events.
"It cannot help but make us more prepared," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Anthrax attacks on Capitol Hill in Washington and in other cities have amounted to "nuisance attacks" that helped authorities get a handle on how to respond effectively, said Dr. William J. Martone, a former CDC scientist who is now senior executive director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
, 百拇医药
The public is now familiar with once arcane concepts such as nasal swabs and may have a greater understanding of vaccination and public health response than it did before this week. Government health authorities have had the chance to exercise their response procedures in real time.
"On the other hand, we've had a death, and we've had a baby get this," Martone said in an interview. He was referring to the newspaper worker in Florida who died last week of anthrax after handling a tainted letter and to a 7-month old baby who contracted skin anthrax at ABC News headquarters in New York., 百拇医药