BioWatch and public health surveillance
Subtitle: evaluating systems for the early detection of biological threats
By: Committee on Effectiveness of National Biosurveillance Systems, BioWatch and the Public Health System ; Board on Health Sciences Policy ; Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology ; Board on Life Sciences, Institute of Medicine and National Research Council of the National Academies
Contributors: Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Board on Health Sciences Policy; National Research Council (U.S.). Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology; National Research Council (U.S.). Board on Life Sciences; National Academies Press (U.S.)
Edition: Abbreviated version.
Publisher: National Academies Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Washington, D.C
Language: eng
Number of pages: 229
ISBN-13: 9780309139717
Subjects: Public health surveillance; Biohazard Release; Safety measures; Methods; Bioterrorism; Biological warfare; Biological Warfare Agents; Environmental Monitoring; Evaluation Studies; Prevention & control; Evaluation; Prevention
Description: Following the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the anthrax letters, the ability to detect biological threats as quickly as possible became a top priority. In 2003 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced the BioWatch program--a federal monitoring system intended to speed detection of specific biological agents that could be released in aerosolized form during a biological attack. The present volume evaluates the costs and merits of both the current BioWatch program and the plans for a new generation of BioWatch devices. BioWatch and Public Health Surveillance also examines infectious disease surveillance through hospitals and public health agencies in the United States, and considers whether BioWatch and traditional infectious disease surveillance are redundant or complementary.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.

Also available in Open Book format via the National Academies Press home page.
Table of contents: title: Introduction and background; title: The BioWatch system; title: Evaluation of the BioWatch system; title: Detecting biological threats through the public health and health care systems: current status; title: Enhancing surveillance to detect and characterize infectious disease threats; title: BioWatch and enhanced national biosurveillance resources.