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September 11, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"At Disease Centers, a Shift in Mission and Metabolism"

New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (09/10/02) P. D1; Altman, Lawrence K.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has changed since the anthrax attacks last year, which damaged confidence in the agency and brought assertions that it was unprepared for bioterrorism and had not properly communicated essential information.  The CDC has sent $914 million during the past 12 months to state and local health departments, an amount almost 10 times what it disbursed the year before and one that is being used to upgrade disease surveillance systems, increase laboratory ability to detect microbes, and better communication with doctors and hospitals.  American Public Health Association executive director Dr. Mohammed Akhter says that the improvements have worked in the fight against West Nile virus.  But some public health leaders say that the new focus on bioterrorism is too much and that the agency's traditional focus on reducing deaths from more common diseases, such as cancer, is suffering.  CDC director Dr. Julie L. Gerberding says that finding a balance is a challenge, noting that the anthrax attacks made the agency change the way it handled things.  The CDC is working on improving communication with the press, federal and state governments, the public, and medical specialists, and says it is better set up to handle a bioterrorism attack than it was a year ago.

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