US Hospitals in Good Shape for Bio-Emergency

A new report from CDC (Centers for Disease and Infection Control) makes it clear-while US hospitals are not completely up-to-snuff on bio-preparedness, they have come a long way since the "dark days" of 2001 !

The Anthrax Attacks of 2001, horrible as they were,persuaded Congress and the "medical establishment" it was time to start thinking about "the unthinkable": the United States was alarmingly vulnerable to a bio-attack.

Now, five years later, the picture looks much better, according to this survey of 874 major hospitals all across America.

" Of 874 hospitals included in the survey, 739 (84.6%) responded. The survey revealed that teaching hospitals were better trained for handling bioterrorism than other types of hospitals were. Hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations were well ahead of other hospitals in training the following employees about terrorism response: nurses, staff physicians, laboratory employees, nurse practitioners, physicians, and residents. However, only 9.5% of the hospitals in the survey were not accredited. Eighty-eight percent of the hospitals said their nurses had been trained in recognizing and treating patients exposed to at least one of seven diseases potentially associated with bioterrorism (smallpox, anthrax, plague, botulism, tularemia, viral encephalitis, and hemorrhagic fevers) or to chemical or radiological attacks. In hospitals that had 24-hour emergency departments or outpatient clinics, 86% of clinical staff members were trained to recognize and treat smallpox, and 82% were trained to recognize and treat anthrax infections. " There is still plenty of room for improvement: The survey showed that more than three quarters of hospitals had taught their key personnel how to implement a "Hospital Emergency Incident Command" system or similar program. But the authors voiced concern that a quarter of the nation's hospitals are unprepared for a "chaotic event." There are some who would emphasize the fact "a quarter of the nation's hospitals are unprepared for a "chaotic event" ( It's the sort of statement that looks scarey on the Evening News ) and there are others - whose values I wonder at - who express indignation every time the US tries to mount a defense against anything.Finally, there are those who feel the government "should not waste tax money on science fiction". It's heartening to know there are some people with clear heads !