Beyond Anthrax: The Weaponization of Infectious Diseases

Biological warfare has, unfortunately, in the post 9/11 world become a significant topic of discussion in both the medical and lay presses. In the wake of the biological "letter bombs" containing anthrax spores, the possibility of biologic and/or toxic attacks on civilians in any part of the world became no longer a possibility. It is now part of common discussion and consciousness.

This book presents the history of the topics and clinically relevant discussions on those high risk (Category A) diseases beyond anthrax as well as a number of infections and toxins at the Category B level. Importantly, in addition, the text includes sections on Public Health Infrastructure, Public Health Law, Surveillance, Mental Health Management and Media Role all of which relate to epidemics of any sort, not just intentional biological events.

Beyond Anthrax: The Weaponization of Infectious Diseases is a product that should serve as a reference point for clinicians, epidemiologists and public health personnel to understand in practical detail many of the aspects of weapons of biowarfare as well as the appropriate responses to them.

Biological warfare has, unfortunately, in the post 9/11 world become a significant topic of discussion in both the medical and lay presses. In the wake of the biological "letter bombs" containing anthrax spores, the possibility of biologic and/or toxic attacks on civilians in any part of the world became no longer a possibility. It is now part of common discussion and consciousness.

This book presents the history of the topics and clinically relevant discussions on those high risk (Category A) diseases beyond anthrax as well as a number of infections and toxins at the Category B level. Importantly, in addition, the text includes sections on Public Health Infrastructure, Public Health Law, Surveillance, Mental Health Management and Media Role all of which relate to epidemics of any sort, not just intentional biological events.

Beyond Anthrax: The Weaponization of Infectious Diseases is a product that should serve as a reference point for clinicians, epidemiologists and public health personnel to understand in practical detail many of the aspects of weapons of biowarfare as well as the appropriate responses to them.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Peter Katona, MD(UCLA School of Medicine)
Description:This book attempts to deal with the broad topic of biological weapons.
Purpose:The purpose is to educate physicians and epidemiologists on various aspects of bioweapons. This is a worthy objective and there is a great deal of excellent information in this book.
Audience:The intended audience is quite broad. The authors mention clinicians and epidemiologists, who are an appropriate audience, but those involved in public safety and policy should also be interested.
Features:The book covers the history of bioweapons, the agents, and then various additional miscellaneous but relevant topics. The history chapter makes several bold statements, like the greatest act of terrorism was the atomic bomb, and has too much biblical history. The discussion of agents depends entirely on the CDC's (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) categorization rather than the authors' own unique set of bugs, which is important since it locks readers into a predefined mindset in preparedness. Too much emphasis is placed on the importance of syndromic surveillance. Bold statements, like departments of health do not tend to have rigid hierarchies, are hard to justify. The chapters at the end cover an excellent range of topics.
Assessment:Although the book has a great deal of useful information, as a reference it does not add anything new to the literature nor does it try to make any new specific points on how to deal with preparedness or management of these outbreaks. The discussion about lack of adequate funding, for example, only mentions CDC and HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) grants although there are many other sources of funding available. There are few historical primary sources, but I understand the difficulty in finding them. In all, I enjoyed the book.

Larry I. Lutwick, MD is Director of the Infectious Disease Unit at the Brooklyn Campus of the Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Health Care System in Brooklyn, New York and Professor of Medicine at the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center.

Suzanne M. Lutwick, MPH is Director of Grant Development for the Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation in Hackensack, New Jersey and adjunct faculty at State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center and at Seton Hall University, East Orange, New Jersey.