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June 5, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Bioterrorism Threat Calls for Revisiting Research Protections" Journal of the American Medical Association Online (www.jama.com)

(05/29/02) Vol. 287, No. 20,; Vastag, Brian

The United States' readiness for response to a bioterrorist threat was challenged last year, and the anthrax episode exposed a number of problems with the country's health system.  Dr. Greg Koski, director of the Office for Human Research Protections, was especially saddened by the squandered opportunity to study the anthrax vaccine, given that while all employees of the postal service were offered the vaccine, only 2 percent opted to undergo the process.  Dr. John Livengood, who heads research protection issues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says that scientists must distinguish for the general public the difference between "research" and "practice" during such a threat.  Livengood notes the difference between the protections offered to Hart Senate Office Building workers and the same opportunities afforded to postal workers yet billed as research. Furthermore, laws set up to protect people and companies during normal times could be cumbersome and even dangerous during a bioterrorist attack such as the anthrax mailings.  Koski proposes that the government create a plan that can be used in times of crisis to avoid legal quagmires that can bog down treatment and prevention of illnesses.

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