Anthrax Threat Mitigation Must Be Dealt With At The Local Level, According To A Recent Study

Key Takeaways:

• Strategies for making antibiotics available, especially in the event of a large-scale anthrax attack, should be developed and executed by local authorities, based on the perceived level of risk and the ability to swiftly deliver antibiotics to those affected.
• Each jurisdiction should assess the benefits and trade-offs of various strategies for local antibiotic storage to determine the most feasible approach for their respective communities. For regions with higher risk levels, local authorities might want to consider establishing their own stockpiles of antibiotics.
• The idea of distributing antibiotics in advance of any attack was dismissed as it is neither cost-effective nor foolproof, potentially opening up the possibility of antibiotics misuse. However, provision of antibiotics in advance may be a viable strategy for first-responders, healthcare providers, and other public safety personnel.
• The report offers guidance on how communities can assess and prepare for delivering antibiotics in the event of an anthrax attack, but it is specifically limited to antibiotic use in anthrax attacks and is not applicable to other types of terrorist attacks, natural disasters, or infectious diseases.

Ever since the unforgettable 9/11 tragedy and the consequent anthrax scares, there has been an ongoing concern of another potentially more devastating anthrax attack amongst Americans.

A recent paper published by the Institute of Medicine emphasizes that strategies for making antibiotics available – particularly those needed in the event of a large-scale anthrax assault – should be developed and executed by local authorities. This should be based on the perceived level of risk and the ability to swiftly deliver antibiotics to those affected.

Dealing with Anthrax

“This is a multifaceted process,” says Dr. Gordon Dickinson, a professor specializing in infectious diseases at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. According to Dickinson, local authorities are crucial in determining how these vital medicines are distributed and in identifying sectors with the most urgent need.

Preventive Measures Against Anthrax

For prevention of anthrax after exposure, antibiotics are proven to be most effective when taken before the onset of symptoms, typically around four days post-exposure. However, redistributing antibiotics from the strategic national stockpile maintained by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) poses a formidable public health challenge, says Robert Bass, the chair of the committee that penned the report.

Local vs Centralized Storage of Antibiotics

Each jurisdiction should assess the benefits and trade-offs of various strategies for local antibiotic storage to determine the most feasible approach for their respective communities. For regions with higher risk levels, such as major cities, the committee suggests that local authorities consider establishing their own stockpiles of antibiotics — a strategy that could lead to more rapid distribution to exposed individuals.

On the other hand, localized stockpiling can be costly and largely inflexible once established, making it a less viable option for regions with lower threat levels, whose needs could potentially be met by the CDC’s stockpile.

Preemptive Antibiotic Distribution

The committee also explored the proposal of distributing antibiotics in advance of any attack, much like the preventive measures employed in nuclear power plants. However, such an approach was eventually dismissed as it is neither cost-effective nor foolproof, and could potentially open up the possibility of antibiotics misuse, such as using them for unrelated illnesses or in response to false alarms or distant anthrax attacks.

First Responders and Public Safety Officers

Provision of antibiotics in advance may be a viable strategy for first-responders, healthcare providers, and other public safety personnel. This strategy could also be beneficial for individuals who, due to health conditions, may be unable to reach a distribution center during an anthrax attack.

Planning for An Anthrax Attack

The report also provides guidance on how communities can assess and prepare for delivering antibiotics in the event of an anthrax attack. However, it is worth noting that the report’s coverage is limited to antibiotic use in anthrax attacks and is not applicable to other types of terrorist attacks, natural disasters, or infectious diseases.

Additional Information

For more information on anthrax, you can visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s webpage on anthrax.