Perceptions about the threat of bioterrorism could impair the nation'...( on if there were a crisis and a majorit...)

on if there were a crisis and a majority said the Internet or a hotline," Shadel said. "By studying other events, such as the West Nile outbreak in 1999 and the World Trade Center bombing in 2001, we know that these technologies aren't always available. Power goes down. Phone lines are jammed. These technologies may not be adequate resources during a crisis."

Shadel said the research demonstrates the need for reference materials, such as pocket cards and CD ROMs, that are not reliant on these technologies. The Center for the Study of Bioterrorism and Emerging Infections at Saint Louis University has been working with the CDC to develop such materials over the past three years. The center's mission is to provide public health and health care facilities with the tools needed for preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation of intentional or naturally occurring outbreaks. Shadel said recent events are making this task easier.

"I think the SARS outbreak, even more than the anthrax scare, helped health care professionals realize the potentially devastating consequences of an event," Shadel said. "They saw how quickly the disease spread from person to person, its impact on the economy and how quickly it created a fury for the need for information. We have that information. We just have to work toward better awareness and improved infrastructure for delivering it."

Saint Louis University School of Public Health is one of only 32 fully accredited schools of public health in the United States and the nation's only School of Public Health sponsored by a Jesuit university. It offers masters degrees (MPH, MHA) and doctoral programs (Ph.D.) in six public health disciplines and joint degrees with the Schools of Allied Health, Business, Law, Medicine, Nursing and Social Service. It is home to seven nationally recognized research centers and laboratories with funding sources that include the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control
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Contact: Joe Muehlenkamp
muehlenk@slu.edu
314-977-8015
Saint Louis University
10-Jul-2003

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