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hat tip @pauldemic Paul Michael Cox
Oct. 4, 2011, 8:53 a.m. EDT
Ten Years After Anthrax Attacks, Public Health Laboratory System Eroding due to Funding Cuts
SILVER SPRING, MD, Oct 04, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- On the tenth anniversary of the anthrax attacks that followed 9/11, the US laboratory network that tested over 125,000 samples for the deadly bacterium is eroding.
snip
"The whole infrastructure is being eroded," said Eric Blank, DrPH, whose historical perspective stretches back nearly 40 years as former head of the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory and APHL's current director of public health systems.
He continued, "I quite frankly -- and this is my personal opinion -- I'm really worried about the next pandemic or the next emergency situation. And here's why: The public health laboratory community will do everything it can to respond. But, we saw hints of cracks even in our H1N1 response, which was a good response. And the next time, when we don't have all our tools and all our staff and all our capabilities, we're not going to be able to do it."
more...
Oct. 4, 2011, 8:53 a.m. EDT
Ten Years After Anthrax Attacks, Public Health Laboratory System Eroding due to Funding Cuts
SILVER SPRING, MD, Oct 04, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- On the tenth anniversary of the anthrax attacks that followed 9/11, the US laboratory network that tested over 125,000 samples for the deadly bacterium is eroding.
snip
"The whole infrastructure is being eroded," said Eric Blank, DrPH, whose historical perspective stretches back nearly 40 years as former head of the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory and APHL's current director of public health systems.
He continued, "I quite frankly -- and this is my personal opinion -- I'm really worried about the next pandemic or the next emergency situation. And here's why: The public health laboratory community will do everything it can to respond. But, we saw hints of cracks even in our H1N1 response, which was a good response. And the next time, when we don't have all our tools and all our staff and all our capabilities, we're not going to be able to do it."
more...
