U.S. Moves to Help Local Agencies Fight Bioterrorism

In state after state, authorities in recent weeks have learned how a few anthrax cases--even rumors of cases--can push public health systems to the breaking point. Now Washington is moving rapidly to help states, cities and hospitals respond to bioterrorism.

Just before Congress adjourned last week, the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation to spend about $3 billion in the coming year to prepare the country for future bioterrorism attacks. Differences between the two bills remain to be reconciled, but with President Bush’s encouragement, enactment is expected next year.

The money would speed up production and development of anthrax and smallpox vaccines and critical antibiotics and other medicines; bolster public health networks around the country; expand the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and take steps to improve food safety.

Congressional action was propelled by the brush lawmakers themselves had with the anthrax scare, which has shut down the largest Senate office building for more than two months and disrupted Capitol Hill. The Senate majority leader and another leading Democrat were targeted with anthrax-laced letters.

“A larger attack could be a disaster, and the attack of the past weeks has clearly sounded the alarm,” said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).

Five people have died of anthrax since letters containing the spores were first mailed in September, and 13 others have been treated for the illness. Ordinarily, such figures would not necessarily tax the nation’s public health system.

But anthrax is no ordinary disease, and its impact has been magnified by the nation’s heightened state of alert since airliners piloted by suicide hijackers struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11.

Kennedy’s home state has cut back on many non-terrorism-related public health programs in order to field about 2,000 calls from residents fearing biological attacks. In addition, Kennedy, who chairs a committee overseeing health issues, said South Dakota had suspended an investigation of food poisoning to check out unfounded anthrax reports, and Georgia authorities logged 3,000 hours in one week in a similar futile chase.

In the first three weeks of October, state health departments reported spending a quarter of a billion dollars responding to the anthrax scare.

To help shore up the nation’s capacity to respond, Kennedy and Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) sponsored a bioterrorism bill that won unanimous Senate approval Thursday.

On Dec. 12, a similar bill written by Reps. W.J. “Billy” Tauzin (R-La.) and John D. Dingell (D-Mich.) rolled through the House on a 418-2 vote. The lone dissenters were Reps. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy).

After the House vote, Bush issued a statement praising the legislation, which he said would “help meet our immediate bioterrorism defense needs.” The president said he would work with the two chambers to “quickly reach a bipartisan consensus.”

The House bill authorizes $2.9 billion in spending and the Senate bill $3.2 billion. Both bills would:

* Expand the Strategic National Pharmaceutical Stockpile, an emergency reserve of medical supplies.

* Expand CDC laboratory capacity and improve training for public health personnel and disease surveillance.

* Provide grants to states for planning and emergency coordination and help equip local hospitals to handle greater numbers of patients.

* Impose new controls on anthrax, smallpox and more than 30 other deadly biological agents, rectifying a problem pointed out by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

In a hearing before a committee Feinstein chairs, federal officials acknowledged that they did not know exactly who has access to anthrax and how much of the deadly bacteria is kept at laboratories across the United States.

“In the last three months, our nation has faced an unprecedented biological attack, yet we have failed to take the proper steps to restrict access to biological agents,” Feinstein said. “This legislation gives us additional tools to combat bioterrorism and restrict access to these deadly biological agents.”

As frequently occurs with legislation of such scope, the Senate and the House differ on some particulars. For example, the two versions vary on food inspections and aid for drug companies.

But House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and other Republicans have signaled that they expect the differences to be resolved.

“We are stepping up to the profound threats of terrorism and other health emergencies,” Tauzin said.