March 2000 MedBytes: Bioterrorism



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March's "MedBytes" features useful Web sites about bioterrorism.

Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)
Visit www.apic.org to read a Bioterrorism Readiness Plan template for hospitals. In cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, APIC offers this readiness plan to serve as a reference document and initial template to facilitate preparation of bioterrorism readiness plans for individual institutions. The plan outlines the steps necessary for responding to the biological agents most likely to be employed in any future biological attack: smallpox, botulism toxin, anthrax, and plague.

JAMA resources
Go online to view past issues of the Journal of the American Medical Association that contain bioterrorism information. The JAMA archives atjama.ama-assn.org include articles on anthrax as a biological weapon (May 12, 1999), smallpox as a biological weapon (June 9, 1999), and weapons of mass destruction (January 12, 2000).

Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies
This site, located at www.hopkins-biodefense.org , was established as a communication tool in hopes of averting bioterrorism and its devastating effects. The site provides up-to-date information on the biological agents of greatest concern and explores ways to prevent and respond to their use on civilians. It includes actual cases of bioterrorism to study for lessons in prevention, detection, and management.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
CDC's site, located at www.bt.cdc.gov , provides information about chemical and biological agents, news releases, training, contacts, and other important information dealing with the public health aspects of bioterrorism preparedness and response. The site includes emergency contact information for each state and a listing of different biological agents.

The Last Word
For the first word on bioterrorism, visit www.last-word.com/nsplus/insight/bioterrorism/bioarmageddon.html. On this site, you'll find a description of what would likely happen during a bioterrorism attack on people who are unprepared versus those who are prepared. The site also links to several other bioterrorism articles.

World Health Organization
Visit the World Health Organization's "To Our Health" site at www.who.int, and click on "US Concern Over Bioterrorism Threat." US Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, PhD, covers the World Health Organization's role in preparing for bioterrorism. Dr Shalala, a former professor, university president, and Peace Corps volunteer, leads a large US delegation that includes the US surgeon general, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the heads of the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, and the American Nurses Association.

TMA's Web Site
Help your patients untangle the Web of medical information -- refer them to www.texmed.org. When you talk to your patients about what Web sites they search for health information, tell them about the TMA Web site's Internet Gateway to Health Resources. The World Wide Web links found in this gateway were researched and approved by the TMA Library, under the guidance of TMA's Council on Public Health. Watch for an upcoming issue of Texas Medicine that features a poster designed for your office or waiting room, telling your patients about the TMA Web site's Internet Gateway.

MedBytes is a quick look at new, or newly discovered, Web sites of interest to Texas physicians. The column also highlights features of the TMA Web site at www.texmed.org. If you know of some cool medical sites or have questions about how to use the TMA Web site, email  Erin Prather. Publication of information about Web sites in this column is not to be construed an endorsement or approval by the Texas Medical Association of the sites or sponsors, or of any products or services involved.

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