Posted on: Monday, October 22, 2001

Editorial
Needed: Public health setup for a new era

We have heard more than a few times now how we are engaged in a "new kind of war." That rang true even in the first few days after the attacks on Washington and New York by terrorists.

But it is even more vividly apparent as we slowly come to grips with the fact that someone is attempting to frighten the American public by distributing anthrax.

The threat of other bioterrorist attacks, using such things as smallpox, remains a major concern.

Just as this is a new kind of war, then, we must enter an era where we build a new kind of civil defense. Our existing civil defense system is focused primarily around natural disasters or attacks that came out of the cold war. While public officials from Honolulu to Washington are swiftly gearing up, the infrastructure needed to respond to a major biological attack remains lacking.

Today, in an era of genetic engineering and biotechnology, a new national effort is needed. We must build a public health infrastructure that not only responds to the challenges of this "new kind of war," but which will provide lasting benefits for the American public through the 21st century.