Bioterrorism Act of

Bioterrorism Act of 2002 Enhanced controls on dangerous biologic agents and toxins. Seeks to protect safety of food, water, and drug supply. 

Bioterrorism Act of 2003 While not directly related to water quality regulations, the security and vulnerability of community drinking water systems were addressed in the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (Bioterrorism Act). The vulnerability assessments were intended to examine a facility s ability to defend against adversarial actions that might substantially disrupt the ability of a water system to provide a safe and reliable supply of drinking water. 

While C-TPAT is voluntary, in other instances, the government has also taken a regulatory stance in the food indrrstry. The Bioterrorism Act of 2002 requires that firms engaged in food processing be able to trace raw materials and output one step up, and one step down, the supply chain (USFDA 2003). 

Bioterrorism Act—The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002. 

Congress passed the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 as part of the Homeland Security Act, in response to the terrorism attacks of 11 September, 2001. The new law contains several provisions that are designed to strengthen the public health system generally and the availability of drugs, biological products and medical devices for countering bioterrorism, in particular. 

When an excipient distributor is sourcing a material for a user for the first time or even for subsequent orders on a nonstock item, a key element of information that must be communicated to the user is the availability of the excipient and the time it will take between when an order is placed and when the excipient is actually delivered to the user site. The definition of availability can be variable, especially if the distributor happens to represent international excipient makers, who may have the material in stock overseas, requiring additional lead times of anywhere from two to eight weeks, depending on the service of the supplier and customs, and, now as a result of the Bioterrorism Act, FDA intervention with entry into the United States. 

The events of 9/11 and subsequent anthrax attacks underscored the need for U.S. health care organizations and public health agencies to be prepared to respond to acts of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. Many states and health care organizations and systems have developed preparedness plans that include enhancing surge capacity to respond to such events. 

A live attenuated vaccine derived from a less virulent form of F. tularensis is available for laboratory personnel who routinely work with tularemia. Postexposure prophylaxis for contacts of tularemia patients is not recommended, as person-to-person transmission is not known to occur. For persons who may have been exposed to F. tularensis, for example, by an act of bioterrorism, a 14-day oral course of ciprofloxacin or doxycycline is indicated (Dennis et al., 2001). 

The Office of the Secretary provides leadership for the entire DHHS. It is responsible for advising the President on issues relating to health and welfare. The most recent expansion in the OS is the formation of the Office of Public Health Preparedness (OPHP) in late 2001. This office was created in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The OPHP directs the DHHS activities aimed at protecting the population from acts of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. Working with the Office of Homeland Security, OPHP s efforts are aimed at coordinating the preparation for and recovery from such events. 

The events of 9/llconvinced the US Congress to pass the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Act, a milestone, signed by the President on June 12, 2002. It consisted of five Titles (I-V) and two Subtitles (A and B), covering all potential harmful agents and situations. 

On November 7, 2008 FDA issued the Final Rule of the Act on Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness ad Response act of 2002. 

In September and October 2001, several cases of anthrax broke out in the United States in the 2001 anthrax attacks, caused deliberately. This was a well-publicized act of bioterrorism, which was perpetrated through anthrax-laced mail. It motivated efforts to define biodefense and biosecurity, where more limited definitions of biosafety had focused on unintentional or accidental impacts of agricultural and medical technologies. 

Congress sent the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 to the president 3 weeks ago. The measure is a compromise between somewhat different versions that were passed by the Senate and House last December. The original bills were sponsored by Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., in the Senate and by Billy Tauzin, R-La., and John Dingell, D-Mich., in the House. 

In addition to creating such an incentive structure for the biotech industry, the Project Bioshield Act of 2004 also allows for expedited peer review procedures for research and development of bioterrorism countermeasures and allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services together with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to permit the distribution of pharmaceuticals and other products for emergency use prior to FDA approval for general use. 

The fundamental incentive and concept of bioterrorism did not substantially change, up to these days. What did alter, obviously, are the know-how, the technical tools, and the strategic approach. Strategically, there are three basic alternatives shaping the concept of bioterrorism acts ... 

Anonymity would rely on objective inability to epidemiologically determine whether the event was an act of bioterrorism. 

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