Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
risk” for becoming stigmatized, as with the recent emergence of novel influ-
enza A (H1N1) in Mexico City (with some U.S. talk show hosts then referring
to the illness as “Mexican flu”). Or, perhaps most commonly, a state will wish
to minimize any negative economic consequences—the loss of tourism, the
prohibition of travel by persons from the affected country, or the outright
ban imposed on a country's agricultural products or other critical commodi-
ties (Heyman 2006).
Systems such as ProMed-mail, GEIS, and other public health surveillance
efforts have illustrated their utility in detecting new and emerging health
threats in a highly connected world where the 24-hour news cycle, blogs,
Twitter notifications (Tweets), and other forms of near instantaneous com-
munications now reign. One public health official attests that the majority of
information about new outbreaks comes from these alternative sources—the
Internet and other forms of electronic communications—rather than from
voluntary submissions by member states. At the same time, SARS, and more
recently novel influenza A (H1N1), can spread rapidly throughout the world,
posing new challenges that derive from our enhanced physical connectivity.
17.2.2 Collaboration across Sectors
Despite the availability of accurate and timely information from one of the
best and most technologically advanced detection systems in our country, that
is, those reports and images from the National Weather Service's National
Hurricane Center, the botched preparedness and response to Hurricane
Katrina will endure as a historically unprecedented uncoupling of detection
and response. The absence of inter-sectoral collaboration has been documented
in numerous investigative reports issued by multiple branches and agencies of
the government. These documents have described the fundamental failings
of multiple governmental agencies at the local, state, and federal level to inte-
grate command structures, share information, communicate effectively with
the public, and provide emergency supplies and other forms of relief (Select
Bipartisan Committee 2006; U.S. GAO 2007a). Many of the critiques of the gov-
ernment's response to Katrina have emphasized the need for improved situa-
tion assessment and awareness, and enhanced emergency communications.
The federal government has committed significant resources in its attempt
to improve the coordination of disease detection and situation aware-
ness. Following the issuance of Homeland Security Presidential Directives
9 and 10, the Department of Homeland Security was tasked with creation
of the National Biosurveillance Integration Center (NBIC) (Smith 2007). The
purpose of the NBIC is to combine information from multiple federal agen-
cies, as well as open source information, to support a timely response to an
attack with biological weapons. The NBIC components include a powerful
management information system that can sift through massive quantities of
data, as well as a bevy of subject matter experts from a range of disciplines
who can interpret and provide context for any suspicious patterns that may
