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Bioterrorism

Biological/Chemical Agents & Other Threats

• Agroterrorism: Threats and Preparedness - (Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress)  - Congressional Research Service Report for Congress that addresses the use of biological weapons against agriculture.

• Biodefense and Related Programs - (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH (NIAID))  - Includes biodefense-related information for biomedical researchers, the public, and the media.

• Biosecurity and Biodefense Resource - (Federation of American Scientists (FAS))  - Resources for biosecurity policy, bioterrorism information, and biodefense research.

• Bioterrorism - Key Documents - Documents from the Institute for Biosecurity at Saint Louis University

• Bioterrorism Agent Information - (Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC))  - Information on biological agents.

• Bioterrorism Information & Resources - (Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) U.S.)  - Materials to help infectious disease clinicians identify and manage potential threats.

• CDC - Bioterrorism - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - Information on bioterrorism agents and links to resources targeted to health professionals or the general public.

• Center for Biosecurity - (University of Pittsburgh)  - Publications, resources, and news on bioterrorism preparedness and prevention.

• Counterterrorism - (Food and Drug Administration (FDA) U.S.)  - List of resources from the Food and Drug Administration

• Enviro-Health Links - Biological Warfare - (National Library of Medicine, Specialized Information Services Division)  - Links to information about biological warfare pathogens.

• Enviro-Health Links - Chemical Warfare Agents - (National Library of Medicine, Specialized Information Services Division)  - Links to information about chemical warfare agents.

• Fact Sheet on Dirty Bombs - (United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) U.S.)  - In order to better inform the public on what a dirty bomb is and what terrorists might intend to try to accomplish in setting off such a weapon, the following information is provided.

• Food Defense and Terrorism - (Food and Drug Administration (FDA) U.S.)  - Resources to help reduce the risk of tampering or other malicious, criminal, or terrorist actions on the food and cosmetic supply.

• General Bioterrorism Information - (Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy, University of Minnesota (CIDRAP) U.S.) 

• Guidelines on Bioterrorism - (National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC))  - List of NGC content related to bioterrorism along with external bioterrorism resources.

• Healthfinder: Bioterrorism - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - Contains helpful links on bioterrorism.

• MEDLINEplus - Biodefense and Bioterrorism

• Potential Zoonotic Agents of Bioterrorism - (American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA))  - Journal articles from AVMA scientific journals about potential zoonotic agents of bioterrorism.

• Protecting Workers from Anthrax Infection - (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC (NIOSH))  - Fact Sheet that describes the NIOSH response to the anthrax attacks.

• PubMed/MEDLINE Search and Smallpox Information Resources - (National Library of Medicine (NLM) U.S.)  - Comprehensive PubMed search and links to other smallpox information resources.

• Radiation Event Medical Management (REMM) - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - Provides guidance for health care providers, primarily physicians, about clinical diagnosis and treatment during mass casualty radiological/nuclear events. The just-in-time, evidence-based information is downloadable in advance, so that it can be available during an event if the Internet is not accessible.

Emergency Response

• AHRQ Disaster Response Tools and Resources - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Tools and resources that can be used during emergency events and natural disasters to assist in response and recovery efforts.

• Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) - (Citizen Corps)  - The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

• Disaster Information Management Research Center - (National Library of Medicine (NLM) U.S.)  - The aim of the Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC) is to provide access to quality disaster health information to the nation at all stages of preparation, response, mitigation and recovery.

• Emergency Preparedness for Public Health Laboratories - (Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) U.S.)  - The Emergency Preparedness and Response Program at APHL is committed to enhancing public health laboratory preparedness and response to emergencies such as terrorist acts, natural disasters and pandemic diseases.

• Emergency Response - (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR))  - Resources compiled by ATSDR for use in responding to an emergency.

• Emergency Response Guidebook - (U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT))  - Provides guidance to first responders on how to identify the types of hazardous materials that may be involved in an incident and how to respond to the threats those materials might pose to emergency crews and the public.

• Emergency Response Safety and Health Database - (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC (NIOSH))  - The Emergency Response Safety and Health Database (ERSH-DB) is an occupational safety and health database developed by NIOSH for the emergency response community. The ERSH-DB contains accurate and concise information on high-priority chemical, biological and radiological agents that could be encountered by personnel responding to a terrorist event.

• Emergency Severity Index (ESI) - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - The ESI is a five-level emergency department triage algorithm that yields rapid, reproducible, and clinically relevant stratification of patients into five groups to allow patients to be categorized by both acuity and hospital resources.

• How to Lead During Bioattacks with the Public's Trust and Help. A Manual for Mayors, Govenors, and Top Health Officials - (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) U.S.)  - How to Lead during Bioattacks provides government leaders with guidance on anticipating and averting governing pitfalls that arise during epidemics.

• Medical Reserve Corps - (Office of the Surgeon General, HHS)  - The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) program establishes teams of local public health, medical and other volunteers to prepare for and respond to emergencies and promote healthy living throughout the year. MRC volunteers supplement existing emergency and public health resources.

• Preparing for and Responding to Specific Hazards - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - Detailed information on specific biological and chemical agents, mass trauma, radiation, and other threats.

• Regionalization of Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

• WISER - (National Library of Medicine (NLM) U.S., Specialized Information Services Division)  - WISER is a system designed to assist first responders in hazardous material incidents.

Preparedness

• Advanced Practice Centers Preparedness Webinars - (Advanced Practice Centers (APC), National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO))  - Webinar presentations on topics related to public health preparedness.

• AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange - Bioterrorism - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Innovations and quality tools to help public health officials and health care providers prepare for acts of bioterrorism.

• Are You Ready? An in-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness - (Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) U.S.)  - Provides a step-by-step approach to disaster preparedness by walking the reader through how to get informed about local emergency plans, how to identify hazards that affect their local area, and how to develop and maintain an emergency communications plan and disaster supplies kit.

• Biodefense publications - (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH (NIAID))  - Contains links to NIAID publications.

• Bioterrorism and Health System Preparedness: Issue Briefs - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - As part of AHRQ's ongoing efforts to develop and disseminate evidence-based information aimed at improving the quality of the U.S. health care system, AHRQ is conducting a series of Web-assisted audioconferences (see http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulp/biotconf.htm) on bioterrorism and preparedness of the health care system. Each audioconference is summarized in an Issue Brief.

• Bioterrorism and Preparedness - (Public Health Foundation (PHF))  - Reports and information on emergency preparedness and response from the Public Health Infrastructure Resource Center.

• Bioterrorism Evidence Reports - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Evidence reports relevant to bioterrorism preparedness.

• BT Toolbox - (National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO))  - A searchable directory of emergency preparedness information for local public health systems.

• Computer Staffing Model for Bioterrorism Response - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Computer model to predict the number and type of staff needed to respond to a major disease outbreak or bioterrorism attack on a given population.

• Elements of Effective Bioterrorism Preparedness: A Planning Primer for Local Public Health Agencies (PDF) - (National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO))  - A guide describing the public health functions required during a bioterrorism event or other public health emergency.

• Emergency Preparedness for Business - (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC (NIOSH))  - Contains links to assist businesses in developing a comprehensive plan for dealing with terrorism-related events including: specific instructions to building occupants, actions to be taken by facility management, and first responder notification procedures.

• Emergency Preparedness Resource Inventory (EPRI) - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Tool to allow local or regional planners to assemble an inventory of critical resources that would be useful in responding to a bioterrorist attack. In addition to a Web-based software tool, EPRI includes an Implementation Report, a Technical Manual, and an Appendix.

• Emergency Responder Preparedness - (Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) U.S.)  - These guidelines are intended to be a tool for first responders seeking to improve their training.

• Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI) - An informal, international partnership of like-minded countries to strengthen health preparedness and response globally to threats of biological, chemical, radio-nuclear terrorism (CBRN) and pandemic influenza.

• Guidance for Filtration and Air-Cleaning Systems to Protect Building Environments - (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC (NIOSH))  - Contains information on how to protect buildings from Airborne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Attacks

• Medical Reserve Corps - (Office of the Surgeon General, HHS)  - The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) program establishes teams of local public health, medical and other volunteers to prepare for and respond to emergencies and promote healthy living throughout the year. MRC volunteers supplement existing emergency and public health resources.

• National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) - Information about terrorism prevention and responder preparedness. Resources include a terrorism bibliography, Lessons Learned Information Sharing System, Responder Knowledge Base and Terrorism Knowledge Base.

• One Year After the Terrorist Attacks: Is Public Health Prepared? A Report Card from the American Public Health Association. - (American Public Health Association (APHA))  - This "report card" analysis examines the progress we have made to improve our public health readiness and highlights areas in need of additional attention.

• Partnerships in Preparedness -- Exemplary Practices in Emergency Management - (Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) U.S.)  - Provides an avenue for forging cooperation and leveraging emergency management talent and resources throughout the public and private sectors, and pays tribute to those who have developed such practices.

• PREP-inar Series: Emerging Issues in Public Health Preparedness - (National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO))  - PREP-inar series presented by NACCHO's Public Health Preparedness Team include hot topics such as pandemic influenza, medical reserve corps, regional preparedness and more. Archived Preparedness Webinars are available.

• Preparation and Planning - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - Preparedness information for health facilities, local governments, businesses, and others.

• Preparedness Peer Assistance Network - (National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO))  - The Preparedness Peer Assistance Network (PPAN) is a web-based referral service that pairs local health departments' (LHDs) emergency preparedness practitioners to subject matter experts in other LHDs for guidance and technical assistance on several topics related to preparedness.

• Public Health Emergency Preparedness - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Research information, tools and resources, issue briefs, and evidence reports on public health preparedness.

• Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Six Years of Achievement - (Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) U.S., Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO))  - This report highlights the progress that has been made in state and local preparedness and response and identifies preparedness challenges facing public health departments.

• Public Health Preparedness Newsletter - (Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO))  - A monthly newsletter on hot topics in public health preparedness.

• Public Health Preparedness: Mobilizing State by State - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - This report presents national data as well as state-specific snapshots for all 50 states on the progress that has been made in preparedness and response, identifies preparedness challenges facing public health departments, and outlines CDC's efforts to address those challenges.

• Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, 2006 - (Trust for America's Health (TFAH))  - 2006 report that contains state-by-state health preparedness scores based on 10 key indicators to assess health emergency preparedness capabilities.

• Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, 2007 - (Trust for America's Health (TFAH))  - 2007 report that contains state-by-state health preparedness scores based on 10 key indicators to assess health emergency preparedness capabilities. The report also evaluates federal progress in preparing the country for bioterrorism, disasters and disease.

• Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health in the Age of Bioterrorism - (Trust for America's Health (TFAH))  - 2003 report that addresses the improvements made to the public health system in the form of a state-by-state assessment and areas that still need improvement.

• Ready.gov - (Department of Homeland Security U.S.)  - Contains checklists and basic instructions to help families be prepared for any type of disaster.

• Redefining Readiness - (Center for the Advancement of Colloborative Strategies in Health, New York Academy of Medicine)  - Reports and tools to enable households, work places, schools and early childhood/youth programs, and governments to anticipate and address problems they would face in emergencies.

• Regionalization of Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))  - Report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

• Research Priorities in Emergency Preparedness and Response for Public Health Systems - (Institute of Medicine (IOM))  - Conclusions and recommendations from the IOM Committee on Research Priorities in Emergency Preparedness and Response for Public Health Systems.

• Resource Guide for Public Health Preparedness - (New York Academy of Medicine)  - The specific aims of the Resource Guide project are to: Assess the health information needs of public health professionals with regard to disaster preparedness and bio-terrorist threats; Streamline access to relevant documents and guidelines by creating and distributing a regularly updated Internet resource guide that directly links users to accurate and reliable sources of health-related preparedness information; and Leverage existing information and outreach resources, including the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, to increase the scope and maximize the benefit of project goals.

• Special Populations: Emergency and Disaster Preparedness - (National Library of Medicine, Specialized Information Services Division)  - Provides links to selected Web sites featuring emergency preparedness for special populations including people with disabilities, people with visual or hearing impairments, senior citizens, children, and women. Links to information in languages other than English are also provided.

• Tool for Evaluating Core Elements of Hospital Disaster Drills - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Johns Hopkins University Evidence-based Practice Center)  - Series of evidence-based modules that provide standardized checklists to document observations during a hospital disaster drill. Using the observations, hospitals can identify areas for improvement, make appropriate changes and set benchmarks to track those changes over time.

Surveillance

• Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) - (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR))  - The HSEES system aims to reduce injury and death among first responders, employees, and the general public that result from releases of hazardous substances. It is the only federal database designed specifically to address the public health effects from releases of hazardous substances.

• Key Topic Guide on Public Health/Bioterrorism Alerting - (Massachusetts Health Data Consortium (MHDA))  - Provides information on public health surveillance and bioterrorism alerting systems that are being developed within the U.S.

• National Bioterrorism Syndromic Surveillance Demonstration Program - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - National coverage of information from ambulatory visits and calls to nurse help lines for over 20 million people is collected each day, analyzed and used to identify unusual clusters of illness that might represent bioterrorism events or other outbreaks of public health importance.

• Surveillance for Bioterrorism - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - Information on illness recognition and detection, surveillance planning, surveillance systems, and more.

Discussion and E-mail Lists

• Bioterrorism Distribution List - (National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO))  - Receive updated public health preparedness resources and upcoming activities and conferences to help enhance your daily public health work.

• CDC Email Updates - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - Free email subscription service for CDC.gov users to receive notifications when new information is available. Users create a subscription profile to get updated information on items of interest.

• Disaster Information Outreach by Librarians Listserv - (National Library of Medicine (NLM) U.S.)  - Discussion forum for librarians and information specialists interested in responding to their community's needs for information services in support of disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery.

• E-mail Alerts - (Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy, University of Minnesota (CIDRAP) U.S.)  - Email alerts from CIDRAP

Education and Training

• Bioterrorism - Education and Training - Contains training materials in many formats: On-line training tools, training courses, satellite broadcasts, and, case studies.

• Bioterrorism and Health System Preparedness - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - A series of five free Web-assisted audio conferences for state, local, and health systems policymakers

• Bioterrorism Training and Education - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - Training materials for specific biological agents and for bioterrorism.

• Centers for Public Health Preparedness - (Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - National network of centers to train the public health workforce to respond to threats to our nation's health, such as bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies.

• Food Defense and Terrorism Training Materials - (Food and Drug Administration (FDA) U.S.)  - Food defense awareness training resources and courses.

• HazMat Emergency Preparedness Training and Tools for Responders - (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR))  - Training programs and tools to help communities develop sound, evidence-based assumptions in preparing for hazardous materials (HazMat) emergencies and disasters.

• Michigan Center for Public Health Preparedness Courses - (Michigan Center for Public Health Preparedness (MI-CPHP))  - Competency-based training products targeted to support preparedness efforts of state and local health departments nationwide.

• Michigan Center for Public Health Preparedness: Courses and Training - (Michigan Center for Public Health Preparedness (MI-CPHP))  - Contains onsite and online training and webcasts as well as course resources and other educational opportunities.

• National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program (NBBTP) - NBBTP offers fellowships, certificate programs, and professional development courses to receive professional training in biosafety and biocontainment.

• PHF Learning Resource Center: Bioterrorism Products - (Public Health Foundation (PHF))  - Educational materials include resources on bioterrorism preparedness, zoonoses, response planning, and ethical and psychological aspects of bioterrorism.

• Resource Guide: Federal Assistance Programs for Terrorism Preparedness - (American Public Health Association (APHA))  - Selected federal preparedness programs compiled by the American Public Health Association that provide grants, training, and technical assistance to preparedness programs.

• Responding to Chemical and Radiological Disasters – A Self-Paced Training Course - (National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO))  - Interactive CD training tool targeted at public health and health care professionals.

• Terrorism, Preparedness, and Public Health: An Introduction - (Center for Public Health Preparedness, University at Albany School of Public Health)  - A Web-based tutorial addressing the public health role in emergency response for a range of potential emergencies.

• Thinking the Unthinkable - Biochemical Terrorism and Disasters: Information Resources for Medical Librarians - (National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), New Jersey Hospital Association)  - Material from an educational program held December 5, 2001.

• University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Preparedness Online Training - (University of Minnesota)  - Online training to build competency for preparation, response and recovery from public health threats and emergencies.

• University of Pittsburgh Center for Public Health Preparedness (UPCPHP) - (University of Pittsburgh)  - The University of Pittsburgh Center for Public Health Preparedness (UPCPHP) trains public health professionals, including professionals in related organizations, to respond to bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks, and other public health threats and emergencies.

• Webcast: Ethics in the Age of Bioterrorism - (Center for Public Health Preparedness, University at Albany School of Public Health)  - This collaborative program sponsored by the University of South Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness and presented by the University at Albany Center for Public Health Preparedness, discusses the ethical complexities which public health, medical and other professionals face if and when a terrorist attack or public health crises occur, and how best to prepare and respond under anxiety filled and emergency conditions.