The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has teamed up with the National Defense Medical Center to establish a biological defense response team, the CDC said on Wednesday.
The team would be equipped with new high-tech tools such as rapid testing equipment for on-site sampling, and drones to assist with air monitoring and sampling to improve the ability to respond to bioterrorism attacks, the CDC said.
The National Defense Medical Center’s Institute of Preventive Medical Research would be responsible for planning, as well as conducting certification and training programs for the team, it said.
Photo: CNA
Four certified inspectors would be assigned to the CDC’s regional control centers to join the biological defense response teams, it said.
“Fear outweighs the harm,” CDC Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said about the effect of bioterrorism attacks.
Mail containing anthrax is a common form of bioterrorism that anyone could be targeted by, Chuang said.
While it is potentially fatal, it is more likely to spread fear and panic, he said.
In 2020, a package of powder was found at National Taiwan University Hospital, which led to a response team being dispatched in full personal protective gear, although it ended up being a false alarm, the CDC said.
The CDC has relied on basic methods for training its response teams, but due to the increasing complexity of global bioterrorism threats, more advanced equipment and knowledge are required, it said.
The CDC established biological defense response teams in six regional control centers in 2009 that remain on standby and ready for deployment at all times.
The six regional control centers combined have 48 personnel who have completed advanced training, Chuang said.
For the new team, four inspectors have been trained to handle front-line sampling tasks and inspections, while the original response team members are responsible for disinfection, equipment maintenance and packaging of samples, he said.
The CDC and the National Defense Medical Center have conducted joint training sessions focused on protective gear, emergency procedures and new technology training, Ministry of National Defense Medical Affairs Bureau official Chen Yuan-hao (陳元皓) said.
In the event of a suspected bioterrorism incident, the two agencies would be mobilized to manage the situation, ensure the public’s safety and respond rapidly, Chen added.
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