Public Health Perils, Public Health Response
October 25 - 26, 2001
The events of September 11 have revealed vulnerabilities to terrorism in this country that had not previously engaged the public’s consciousness. Among these vulnerabilities is the threat of bioterrorism – a weapon that has been available to nations for many years but has remained restrained or unused. How likely is that restraint to continue? And with the genetic revolution, what are the possible new threats to the public’s health?
- Can we know whether there is an intentional release of pathogens or chemical agents or an emerging infection or accident?
- How can the public health system best respond in either case?
- The essence of terrorism is not merely to cause physical harm but to create the fear of harm. How should we respond to both physical and psychological harms?
- What are the precautions that individuals, states, and nations can take to prevent a bioterrorism public health catastrophe?
- Is there a need to question the free dissemination of scientific knowledge by and within universities?
- What can we do as teachers, researchers and students to assure that science will not be used to create weapons of mass destruction?
We invite all of you in the Harvard and public health communities to consider these questions and contribute your own at a special two-part symposium on bioterrorism.
-- Dean Barry R. Bloom
