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Hospitals Get System to Identify Bioterror Symptoms
Hospitals in Pennsylvania have received a database with more than 10,000 photographs showing skin symptoms of 600 diseases to aid first responders and doctors in identifying a bioterrorist attack, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 3). Forty-five hospitals received the tool, which is already used in New York and Washington, along with a $700,000 federal preparedness grant, according to state Health Department spokesman Troy Thompson. If successful, the system would be installed in nearly 200 Pennsylvania hospitals, he said. “We know the importance of being able to quickly and accurately identify health threats,” Thompson said. “This is a big step forward for our bioterrorism preparedness.” While medical reference books include few pictures, the database is capable of showing a dozen or more images of a disease in various stages. A doctor can start generally, looking at pictures of rashes or lesions, then focus the search based upon prior medical history, recent travel and other symptoms, according to AP. The system is accessed online and complemented with CD-ROMs containing data in case Internet service is lost during an emergency, AP reported. The database would be of great assistance in a bioterrorist attack, said Art Papier, founder of system producer Logical Images. “Even the most astute clinician will have difficulty diagnosing a disease they have never seen before. One of the lessons of the unfortunate anthrax events of 2001 was the need to better prepare doctors for identifying very rare disorders,” Papier said (Joann Loviglio, Associated Press/Newsday, Dec. 7).
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