Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of General Internal Medicine
Published in: Journal of General Internal Medicine 1/2007

01-01-2007 | Perspectives

The Role of Internists During Epidemics, Outbreaks, and Bioterrorist Attacks

Author: Bruce Y. Lee, MD, MBA

Published in: Journal of General Internal Medicine | Issue 1/2007

Login to get access

Abstract

Internists are well-positioned to play significant roles in recognizing and responding to epidemics, outbreaks, and bioterrorist attacks. They see large numbers of patients with various health problems and may be the patients’ only interaction with the medical community for symptoms resulting from infectious diseases and injuries from radiation, chemicals, and/or burns. Therefore, Internists must understand early warning signs of different bioterrorist and infectious agents, proper reporting channels and measures, various ways that they can assist the public health response, and roles of different local, state, and federal agencies. In addition, it is important to understand effects of a public health disaster on clinic operations and relevant legal consequences.
Literature
1.
Borio L, Frank D, Mani V, et al. Death due to bioterrorism-related inhalational anthrax: report of 2 patients. JAMA. 2001;286(20):2554–9.PubMedCrossRef
2.
Heilpern KL, Borg K. Update on emerging infections: news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vibrio illness after Hurricane Katrina—multiple states, August–September 2005. Ann Emerg Med. 2006;47(3):255–8.PubMedCrossRef
3.
Gerberding JL. Faster... but fast enough? Responding to the epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(20):2030–1.PubMedCrossRef
4.
Lee N, Hui D, Wu A, et al. A major outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(20):1986–94.PubMedCrossRef
5.
Nash D, Mostashari F, Fine A, et al. The outbreak of West Nile virus infection in the New York City area in 1999. N Engl J Med. 2001;344(24):1807–14.PubMedCrossRef
6.
Blendon RJ, DesRoches CM, Benson JM, Herrmann MJ, Taylor-Clark K, Weldon KJ. The public and the smallpox threat. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(5):426–32.PubMedCrossRef
7.
O’Connor MJ, Buckeridge DL, Choy M, Crubezy M, Pincus Z, Musen MA. BioSTORM: a system for automated surveillance of diverse data sources. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2003:1071.
8.
Tsui FC, Espino JU, Wagner MM, et al. Data, network, and application: technical description of the Utah RODS Winter Olympic Biosurveillance System. Proc AMIA Symp. 2002:815–9.
9.
Burkom HS, Elbert Y, Feldman A, Lin J. Role of data aggregation in biosurveillance detection strategies with applications from ESSENCE. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2004;53(suppl):67–73.PubMed
10.
Anthrax case timeline. J Health Commun. 2003;8(suppl 1):1–2.
11.
Bush LM, Abrams BH, Beall A, Johnson CC. Index case of fatal inhalational anthrax due to bioterrorism in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2001;345(22):1607-10.PubMedCrossRef
12.
Reilley B, Van Herp M, Sermand D, Dentico N. SARS and Carlo Urbani. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(20):1951–2.PubMedCrossRef
13.
Emergency preparedness and response. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2006.
14.
Hupert N, Bearman GM, Mushlin AI, Callahan MA. Accuracy of screening for inhalational anthrax after a bioterrorist attack. Ann Intern Med. 2003;139(5 Pt 1):337–45.PubMed
15.
Inglesby TV, O’Toole T, Henderson DA, et al. Anthrax as a biological weapon, 2002: updated recommendations for management. JAMA. 2002;287(17):2236–52.PubMedCrossRef
16.
Karwa M, Bronzert P, Kvetan V. Bioterrorism and critical care. Crit Care Clin. 2003;19(2):279–313.PubMedCrossRef
17.
NATO Handbook on the medical aspects of NBC defensive operations AmedP-6; Part II biological FM 8-9. Washington (DC): Departments of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force, 1996.
18.
English J, Cundiff M, Malone J, et al. APIC Bioterrorism Task Force and CDC Hospital Infections Program Bioterrorism Working Group bioterrorism readiness plan: a template for healthcare facilities. April 1999.
19.
Mac Kenzie WR, Hoxie NJ, Proctor ME, et al. A massive outbreak in Milwaukee of cryptosporidium infection transmitted through the public water supply. N Engl J Med. 1994;331(3):161–7.CrossRef
20.
Wheeler C, Vogt TM, Armstrong GL, et al. An outbreak of hepatitis A associated with green onions. N Engl J Med. 2005;353(9):890–7.PubMedCrossRef
21.
Eidson M, Komar N, Sorhage F, et al. Crow deaths as a sentinel surveillance system for West Nile virus in the northeastern United States, 1999. Emerg Infect Dis. 2001;7(4):615–20.PubMedCrossRef
22.
Eidson M, Miller J, Kramer L, Cherry B, Hagiwara Y. Dead crow densities and human cases of West Nile virus, New York State, 2000. Emerg Infect Dis. 2001;7(4):662–4.PubMed
23.
Tularemia transmitted by insect bites—Wyoming, 2001–2003. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2005;54(7):170–3.
24.
Lo B, Katz MH. Clinical decision making during public health emergencies: ethical considerations. Ann Intern Med. 2005;143(7):493–8.PubMed
25.
Thienkrua W, Cardozo BL, Chakkraband ML, et al. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression among children in tsunami-affected areas in southern Thailand. JAMA. 2006;296(5):549–59.PubMedCrossRef
26.
van Griensven F, Chakkraband ML, Thienkrua W, et al. Mental health problems among adults in tsunami-affected areas in southern Thailand. JAMA. 2006;296(5):537–48.PubMedCrossRef
27.
Morbidity surveillance after Hurricane Katrina—Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, September 2005. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2006;55(26):727–31.
28.
Brackbill RM, Thorpe LE, DiGrande L, et al. Surveillance for World Trade Center disaster health effects among survivors of collapsed and damaged buildings. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2006;55(2):1–18.PubMed
29.
Pfefferbaum B, Seale TW, Brandt EN, Jr., Pfefferbaum RL, Doughty DE, Rainwater SM. Media exposure in children one hundred miles from a terrorist bombing. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2003;15(1):1–8.PubMedCrossRef
30.
Pfefferbaum B, Seale TW, McDonald NB, et al. Posttraumatic stress two years after the Oklahoma City bombing in youths geographically distant from the explosion. Psychiatry. 2000;63(4):358–70.PubMed
31.
Trude S, Stoddard JJ. Referral gridlock: primary care physicians and mental health services. J Gen Intern Med. 2003;18(6):442–9.PubMedCrossRef
32.
Tsao JC, Dobalian A, Wiens BA, Gylys JA, Evans GD. Posttraumatic stress disorder in rural primary care: improving care for mental health following bioterrorism. J Rural Health. 2006;22(1):78–82.PubMedCrossRef
33.
Yehuda R, Hyman SE. The impact of terrorism on brain, and behavior: what we know and what we need to know. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2005;30(10):1773–80.PubMedCrossRef
34.
Compton MT, Cibulas BK, Gard B, et al. Incorporating community mental health into local bioterrorism response planning: experiences from the DeKalb County Board of Health. Commun Ment Health J. 2005;41(6):647–63.CrossRef
35.
Compton MT, Kotwicki RJ, Kaslow NJ, Reissman DB, Wetterhall SF. Incorporating mental health into bioterrorism response planning. Public Health Rep. 2005;120 Suppl 1:16–9.PubMed
36.
Strike PC, Steptoe A. Behavioral and emotional triggers of acute coronary syndromes: a systematic review and critique. Psychosom Med. 2005;67(2):179–86.PubMedCrossRef
37.
Leor J, Poole WK, Kloner RA. Sudden cardiac death triggered by an earthquake. N Engl J Med. 1996;334(7):413–9.PubMedCrossRef
38.
Kloner RA, Leor J, Poole WK, Perritt R. Population-based analysis of the effect of the Northridge Earthquake on cardiac death in Los Angeles County, California. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1997;30(5):1174–80.PubMedCrossRef
39.
Matsuoka T, Yoshioka T, Oda J, et al. The impact of a catastrophic earthquake on morbidity rates for various illnesses. Public Health. 2000;114(4):249–53.PubMedCrossRef
40.
Ruidavets JB, Paterniti S, Bongard V, Giroux M, Cassadou S, Ferrieres J. Triggering of acute coronary syndromes after a chemical plant explosion. Heart. 2006;92(2):257–8.PubMedCrossRef
41.
Woersching JC, Snyder AE. Earthquakes in El Salvador: a descriptive study of health concerns in a rural community and the clinical implications, part I. Disaster Manag Response. 2003;1(4):105–9.PubMedCrossRef
42.
Woersching JC, Snyder AE. Earthquakes in El Salvador: a descriptive study of health concerns in a rural community and the clinical implications: Part III-Mental health and psychosocial effects. Disaster Manag Response. 2004;2(2):40–5.PubMedCrossRef
43.
Woersching JC, Snyder AE. Earthquakes in El Salvador: a descriptive study of health concerns in a rural community and the clinical implications—part II. Disaster Manag Response. 2004;2(1):10–3.PubMedCrossRef
44.
Joshi SR. Tsunami induced hyperglycemia and diabetes mortality—two studies from south India. J Assoc Phys India. 2006;54:105–6.
45.
Hoffman RE. Preparing for a bioterrorist attack: legal and administrative strategies. Emerg Infect Dis. 2003;9(2):241–5.PubMed
46.
Stott DJ, Kerr G, Carman WF. Nosocomial transmission of influenza. Occup Med (Lond). 2002;52(5):249–53.CrossRef
47.
Yassi A, Moore D, Fitzgerald JM, Bigelow P, Hon CY, Bryce E. Research gaps in protecting healthcare workers from SARS and other respiratory pathogens: an interdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder, evidence-based approach. J Occup Environ Med. 2005;47(1):41–50.PubMed
48.
Gershon RR, Qureshi KA, Sepkowitz KA, Gurtman AC, Galea S, Sherman MF. Clinicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and concerns regarding bioterrorism after a brief educational program. J Occup Environ Med. 2004;46(1):77–83.PubMedCrossRef
49.
Weber DJ, Sickbert-Bennett E, Gergen MF, Rutala WA. Efficacy of selected hand hygiene agents used to remove Bacillus atrophaeus (a surrogate of Bacillus anthracis) from contaminated hands. JAMA. 2003;289(10):1274–7.PubMedCrossRef
50.
Boyce JM, Pittet D. Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings. Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America/Association for Professionals in Infection Control/Infectious Diseases Society of America. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2002;51(RR-16):1–45, quiz CE1-4.PubMed
51.
Gostin LO. Controlling the resurgent tuberculosis epidemic. A 50-state survey of TB statutes and proposals for reform. JAMA. 1993;269(2):255–61.PubMedCrossRef
52.
Blendon RJ, Benson JM, DesRoches CM, Pollard WE, Parvanta C, Herrmann MJ. The impact of anthrax attacks on the American public. MedGenMed. 2002;4(2):1.PubMed
53.
Hall MJ, Norwood AE, Ursano RJ, Fullerton CS. The psychological impacts of bioterrorism. Biosecur Bioterror. 2003;1(2):139–44.PubMedCrossRef
54.
Evans RG, Crutcher JM, Shadel B, Clements B, Bronze MS. Terrorism from a public health perspective. Am J Med Sci. 2002;323(6):291–8.PubMedCrossRef
55.
Hotchkiss JR, Strike DG, Crooke PS. Pathogen transmission and clinic scheduling. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12(1):159–62.PubMed
56.
Tsai MC, Arnold JL, Chuang CC, Chi CH, Liu CC, Yang YJ. Impact of an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome on a hospital in Taiwan, ROC. Emerg Med J. 2004;21(3):311–6.PubMedCrossRef
57.
Voelker R. Mobile hospital raises questions about hospital surge capacity. JAMA. 2006;295(13):1499–503.PubMedCrossRef
58.
Curran WJ. Legal history of emergency medicine from medieval common law to the AIDS epidemic. Am J Emerg Med. 1997;15(7):658–70.PubMedCrossRef
59.
Bruce J. Bioterrorism meets privacy: an analysis of the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act and the HIPAA privacy rule. Ann Health Law. 2003;12(1):75–120, table of contents.PubMed
60.
HIPAA privacy rule and public health. Guidance from CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2003;52(suppl:1–17), 19–20.
61.
Hodge JG, Jr., Brown EF, O’Connell JP. The HIPAA privacy rule and bioterrorism planning, prevention, and response. Biosecur Bioterror. 2004;2(2):73–80.PubMedCrossRef
62.
Bioterrorism preparedness varied across state and local jurisdictions. GAO-03-373 ed. Vol. 2006. Washington, DC: United States General Accounting Office; April 2003.
Metadata
Title
The Role of Internists During Epidemics, Outbreaks, and Bioterrorist Attacks
Author
Bruce Y. Lee, MD, MBA
Publication date
01-01-2007
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Journal of General Internal Medicine / Issue 1/2007
Print ISSN: 0884-8734
Electronic ISSN: 1525-1497
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-006-0030-2

Other articles of this Issue 1/2007

Journal of General Internal Medicine 1/2007 Go to the issue

Original Article

A National Survey of Medical Students’ Beliefs and Knowledge in Screening for Prostate Cancer

Original Article

Internal Medicine Residents Reject “Longer and Gentler” Training

Original Article

HIV-Infected African Americans are Willing to Participate in HIV Treatment Trials

Original Article

An Exploratory Study of Primary Care Physician Decision Making Regarding Total Joint Arthroplasty

Perspectives

Professionalism and Evolving Concepts of Quality

Editorial

Measuring a Safety Culture: Critical Pathway or Academic Activity?
Live Webinar | 27-06-2024 | 18:00 (CEST)

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Reserve your place

Live: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

WHO estimates that half of all patients worldwide are non-adherent to their prescribed medication. The consequences of poor adherence can be catastrophic, on both the individual and population level.

Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.

Prof. Kevin Dolgin
Prof. Florian Limbourg
Prof. Anoop Chauhan
Developed by: Springer Medicine
Obesity Clinical Trial Summary

At a glance: The STEP trials

Read more

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.

Developed by: Springer Medicine

Highlights from the ACC 2024 Congress

Year in Review: Pediatric cardiology

Pediatric Cardiology Video

Watch Dr. Anne Marie Valente present the last year's highlights in pediatric and congenital heart disease in the official ACC.24 Year in Review session.

Year in Review: Pulmonary vascular disease

Cardiopulmonary Comorbidity Video

The last year's highlights in pulmonary vascular disease are presented by Dr. Jane Leopold in this official video from ACC.24.

Year in Review: Valvular heart disease

Valvular Heart Disease Video

Watch Prof. William Zoghbi present the last year's highlights in valvular heart disease from the official ACC.24 Year in Review session.

Year in Review: Heart failure and cardiomyopathies

Heart Failure Video

Watch this official video from ACC.24. Dr. Biykem Bozkurt discusses last year's major advances in heart failure and cardiomyopathies.

ACC 2024 Congress Coverage

Year in Review: Heart failure and cardiomyopathies

Heart Failure Video

Watch this official video from ACC.24. Dr. Biykem Bozkurt discusses last year's major advances in heart failure and cardiomyopathies.

Watch now

Semaglutide benefits people with type 2 diabetes and obesity-related heart failure

16-04-2024 Type 2 Diabetes News

Incentivised to exercise

11-04-2024 Lifestyle Modifications News

New intervention for STEMI-related cardiogenic shock

10-04-2024 Myocardial Infarction News

» View more highlights on the ACC 2024 congress hub page

Image Credits