On Oct. 9, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US verified a second case of anthrax among the employees of The Sun newspaper in Florida. No connection to the Sept. 11 attacks has been confirmed as yet. Still, we cannot ignore the possibility of an epidemic -- and the more immediate risk for media workers. The staff members of Taiwan's media would do well to raise their vigilance.
The US Department of Defense (DoD) began putting significant effort into anthrax research and vaccine development as early as the 1950s and `60s. Since the emergence of the AIDS virus, however, anthrax specialists have become increasingly rare.
Following the sarin gas incident in Japan, the US leadership addressed the global threat of emerging infectious diseases in June, 1996. The Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System was established in 1997 as the DoD's main tool for acting against the threat. The DoD collaborated with international health organizations and has already engaged in the education and training of health personnel so they can give early warning of emerging infectious diseases.
In addition, US military research units have trained many outstanding pathologists and virologists -- specializing in arthropod-borne viruses -- over the past 30 years. They have also built up strong connections internationally and have collaborated with various academic institutions.
In particular, the US DoD has focused on the following five solutions (something from which people concerned with Taiwan's defense should learn):
-- A virologic surveillance system with global reach to concentrate only on Influenza A.
-- The upgrading of laboratory surveillance and the rapid diagnosis of pathogenic microbes to enhance early warning systems for newly emergent infectious diseases. This upgrade will affect all levels, from the clinical to the more research oriented -- to more accurately monitor the responsible agents.
-- Assisting other nations in investigating unusual epidemics through the training of health personnel in field epidemiology to solve practical problems.
-- Focusing on the changing epidemiologic characteristics of sexually-transmitted diseases. This would investigate the increasing incidence of chlamydia and would include research on behavioral changes.
-- The utilization of newly-developed genetic tools and bio-informatics -- in collaboration with biomedical companies in Washington State -- to speed up our understanding of the malaria parasite's genetic code and the improvement of malaria vaccines.
Taiwan's military research institute for medical microbiology research has become more open-minded in the last three years. There is, however, much room for improvement in the following four areas: the cultivation of leadership, the improvement of vaccine development techniques, collaboration with external agencies and the quest to meet international standards.
In the future, efforts to prevent bio-terrorism should focus primarily on: the training of leaders who can integrate a multi-disciplinary approach; the upgrading of infectious disease controls and epidemiological training in military hospitals; the long-term cultivation of vaccinologists.
At a time when the US is bracing for more terrorist attacks, there is no doubt that Taiwan must raise its self-defense capabilities by manufacturing its own test reagents and vaccines against pathogenic microorganisms.
King Chwan-chuen is a professor at the Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University .
Translated by Perry Svensson
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