Epidemiologists have a complex relationship with the diseases we study. We love to study them, figure out why and how they do what they do, and then we love to destroy them. There is a lure, like the study of the occult, learning what makes the ‘dark side’ tick. Whether it’s catastrophic or just plain scary, we are strangely attracted pandemic strains of influenza (H5N1), agents of bioterrorism (tularemia, anthrax), newly emerged and uncharacterized viruses (SARS), or infections with alarming fatality rates (Ebola).
This week’s disease of the week is anthrax. As you learned in lecture, normal transmission of this bug relies on agent-host(s)-environment interaction. Because of its spore-forming ability, it is also a nice candidate for an agent of bioterrorism.
Bioterrorism and pandemic preparedness and funding for public health programs aims to prepare us to deal with the possibility of a high-profile lethal event; in the case of bioterrorism in particular, the likelihood of the event is extremely small. This funding is wisely used by public health agencies to train and expand public health capacity that can respond to any event, not just a bioterrorism event.
What tickles the back of my brain, is this question: What are the real threats to biosecurity in the US and worldwide? I’m invested in possibility of pandemic influenza. But what about HIV in the developing world? Are we and can we do enough to keep the HIV pandemic from eroding basic societal structures? In many cases the situation is already beyond this, and the question is how can societies be rebuilt?
This is my first time trying out your blog. I hope to gather more information throughout this Summer. LeRoy