FP Report -- April 1999
FPs would be on front line during bioterrorist attack
Physicians would likely be the first to notice a bioterrorism attack, said organizers of a recent conference hosted by Johns Hopkins University.
The mid-February national meeting, held in Arlington, Va., put physicians ahead of the military or police in order of importance.
What's the rationale? The effects of a bioterrorist attack might not be evident until hours or days after the attack, and FPs and other primary care physicians would need to be able to recognize the attack and react in time.
Need bioterrorism knowledge?
Check out www.defenselink.mil/specials, a U.S. Department of Defense Web site. That's the recommendation of Col. John Powers, M.D., the FP consultant to the U.S. Army surgeon general. The colonel said the site has "the best information that has been verified."
The site is heavy on anthrax information since anthrax has long been a threat to the armed forces. It also includes links to sites covering many other biological agents.
FP Report is published by the AAFP News Department. Copyright © 1999 by American Academy of Family Physicians.
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