Bio-Terrorism preparedness and response Module 3 SLP MHE 507 Essay

Bio-Terrorism preparedness and response Module 3 SLP MHE 507 - Essay Example ecast, the public health officials in particular attempt to develop and refine a â€Å"new methods of surveillance† (Buehler, Berkelman, Hartley, & Peters, 2004). These surveillance methods or systems -- also known as syndromic surveillance -- are principally intended to detect â€Å"early manifestations of bioterrorism-related disease.† The ultimate goal of syndromic surveillance is the earlier detection of bioterrorism-related disease before it exponentially spread to the community. However, few have questioned (if not attacked) the efficiency and/or accuracy, among other things, of the current surveillance systems. Researchers, working for the bioterrorism preparedness and response, admit openly that the attainability or feasibility of the syndromic surveillance’s goal â€Å"remains unproved† (Buehler et al., 2004). No doubt, it is very important to fully learn the fundamental component, in the epidemiologic level, of the â€Å"biological agents used as weapons† (Pavlin, 1999). In grasping their basic principles, public health officials -- such as those in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -- will be able to determine and detect the symptoms and/or prodromal illnesses generally characterized by bioterrorism-related diseases. According to Buehler et al. (2004), the early signs of people contaminated with anthrax are â€Å"nonspecific symptoms† that last for a few days and followed by a â€Å"severe disease.† Fortunately, scientists and medical practitioners understand the essential framework or nature of inhalational anthrax. It is only a matter of time (and technology) before one can truly detect the onset of the severe disease. One of the reasons why the goal of syndromic surveillance is difficult to be achieved is because of the nature of the inhalational anthrax itself. Syndromic surveillance basically aims to determine the bioterrorism-related disease in the earliest possible time -- that is, before clinicians or medical professionals