County OKs Funds to Fight Bioterrorism

With reports of anthrax rattling the nation daily, Los Angeles County’s health department Tuesday was given approval to spend $2 million to combat bioterrorism.

Meeting in closed session to discuss security threats, county supervisors heard a report from their health staff on steps the Department of Health Services would take to guard against chemical or germ warfare. They gave the department approval to move ahead with the efforts.

Health officials said they have not seen any evidence of biological or chemical attacks in the county. Nonetheless, the health department Tuesday sent medical staff to emergency rooms throughout the county to see if patients were showing signs of exposure to biological or chemical agents, an effort that is expected to continue.

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, county director of public health, said the county has been preparing for bioterrorism since a series of false anthrax scares in 1998. But, “you never feel confident, you never feel significantly prepared,” he said.

Meanwhile, other county agencies have drawn up a list of new programs to prepare the area for possible terrorist attacks. The $108-million package is scheduled for consideration at next week’s board meeting. It includes satellite phones for key agencies, additional equipment for firefighters, more anti-terrorism officers for the Sheriff’s Department and new computer systems for the coroner’s office that could recognize patterns of a chemical attack.

The health department is spending nearly $1 million to boost its supply of antibiotics used to treat anthrax and other diseases that could be spread by terrorists.

All ambulances that respond to 911 calls will be supplied with antidotes to chemical attacks.

The county is boosting the capacity of its labs that analyze materials to determine whether biological or chemical agents are present, and increasing its ability to collect data on illness patterns that could demonstrate a biological attack.

Public health doctors are giving other physicians crash courses on recognizing diseases such as anthrax and are preparing a brochure for the public on bioterrorism readiness and response.

The health department has stocked its Web site, https://www.ladhs.org, with information on the subject, which can be directly accessed at https://www.labt.org.

Meanwhile, the county’s Office of Public Safety has erected concrete barriers around loading bays to the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles and is working with the city to make the entire area around the building a no-parking zone.

The county has appointed an 18-person task force to advise officials on other steps that can be taken to prepare for an attack and is reviewing its quarantine policy to ensure any infectious diseases do not spread.