Open source intelligence
material indicates
that violent Islamic fundamentalist groups are making concerted
efforts to develop anthrax as a biological weapon of terror.
Cognizant of that threat analysis, members of the Hazmat, EMS
and biosecurity communities sought and obtained support from
Emergent BioSolutions to convene a two day meeting to consider
pre-exposure vaccination with Anthrax Vaccine Absorbed (AVA,
BioThrax™ ) as an alternative to
the current policies of post exposure prophylaxis and treatment.
Accordingly, a group of thought leaders from the emergency responder,
law enforcement, public health and biosecurity community, including
Professor Bill Stanhope from the Institute, met February 9-11,
2007, to consider the vulnerabilities of the first responder
and critical infrastructure workforce should the nation again
face a covert terrorist attack with Bacillus anthracis.
At the conclusion of the conference the following consensus
statement was developed and unanimously adopted by the participants.
Consensus
Statement (WORKING DRAFT):
Recognizing the reality of documented attempts of radical terrorist
groups to develop and deploy anthrax as a weapon of terror
the undersigned are unanimous in their belief that the “civilian” Emergency
Responder and Critical Infrastructure workforce should
be offered the same level of prospective protection afforded
to their federal counterparts.
We
urge the Department of Health and Human Services, the
CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and
the Department of Homeland Security to immediately clear
all barriers to the funding, acquisition and delivery
of AVA to Emergency Responder/Critical Infrastructure
workforce on a voluntary basis.
Moreover,
we believe that AVA availability should be prioritized
to the Emergency Responder/Critical Infrastructure workforce
in the UASI cities and any other communities known or
self-assessed to be at high risk for future terrorist
attacks.
Recognizing the difficulties encountered during previous smallpox
vaccination efforts we further recommend that a reasoned,
rational, and realistic education program be developed
reflective of the threat and relative risk of another
bioterrorist attack using B. Anthracis. That education
program should include a careful delineation of the efficacy
and safety of AVA, the FDA approved indications, and
a discussion of the relative risks and benefits of voluntary
receiving the full schedule of AVA vaccine versus a post-exposure
strategy that relies on antibiotics alone. |
Readers wishing to share comments about this consensus statement
may email them to Professor Stanhope at stanhowd@slu.edu.
|
