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U.S. Response: Despite Budget Cuts, CDC “Up to Challenge” of Bioterrorism, Official Says By Greg Seigle Even though White House officials want to cut $661 million in fiscal 2003 from the $2.3 billion bioterrorism budget CDC received this year, the CDC still expects to be heavily relied upon in any future biological outbreaks, CDC spokesman Llelwyn Grant told Global Security Newswire yesterday. “We’re up to the challenge,” Grant said in response to recent criticism that the CDC is poorly prepared to prevent or react to acts of terrorism involving deadly biological or chemical agents. This week Tara O’Toole, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies, accused the CDC of an “absolutely terrible” handling of the anthrax incidents last fall that infected 18 people, killing five of them (see GSN, Feb. 7). “We now understand a lot more [about biological diseases] and we are working closely with state and local authorities” to prepare them for any outbreaks, Grant said. “In the event that we do have another incident involving anthrax or some other biological agent, we are prepared to protect the American public,” Grant continued. “We are moving in the right direction to provide public health support.” O’Toole, however, said the CDC is “not big enough” to be responsible for public safety, and called for the federal government to create a new information network outside of the CDC. Because CDC officials were “completely consumed by ongoing operations” during the anthrax epidemic, O’Toole said, the CDC could only improve if it includes outside bioterrorism experts in its preparation for and response to future attacks. Better Communications Needed Currently the CDC operates 81 different surveillance systems across the country, “none of which talk to each other,” O’Toole said. “The CDC Web site crashed at least twice during the anthrax [incidents],” she added, leaving government and academic experts “out of the loop.” Grant said the CDC’s surveillance systems are fine, and that the fiscal 2003 budget proposed by President George W. Bush earmarks $940 million for state and local capacities — the same amount given this year. “We’re in the process of improving our state and local capabilities,” Grant said, declining specific examples. “We’re looking to do a lot of enhancements to our emergency operations and communication abilities. We’re doing everything we can,” Grant continued. “We have a pretty in-depth Web site in which we post all the latest and greatest information.” Grant refuted O’Toole’s assertions that the CDC did not include outside input during the anthrax crisis, saying the center held regular satellite and Internet conferences in which almost half a million specialists participated. O’Toole, one of the leading bioterrorism scholars in the country, said the conference calls she participated in were “last minute” and “chaotic.” Grant said the $940 million being spent on state and local authorities this year is being used to further “build up their capacity” to prepare and respond to any biological attacks. “Given the science and technology we had at the time [of the anthrax outbreaks],” Grant said, “we have evolved.” Budget Cuts The White House budget proposal for next year seeks to pump $6 billion into bioterrorism preparation, but while many government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health would come out big winners, the CDC would actually lose almost one-third of its bioterrorism funding. NIH is earmarked to receive more than $1.7 billion for research and development. Grant blamed the cuts on the fact that this year the CDC is receiving $757 million to boost the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile, a reserve of vaccines and antidotes (see GSN, Jan. 29). “This is a one-time infusion,” Grant said. “In 2003 there’s no need for that buildup.” A close examination of the proposed budget for CDC next year, however, reveals widespread cuts in key areas. For example, the CDC is expected to have $57 million chopped from its chronic disease prevention and health promotion departments. The CDC is also slated to lose $31 million for public health improvement, $28 million for occupational safety and health and $20 million for emergency recovery. Furthermore, the CDC is due to have $10 million reduced from its infectious disease control programs — and lose $186 million from its building and facilities coffers. “If I was to say things are perfect, I’d be false,” Grant said. “In hindsight, perhaps we would have approached [the anthrax outbreaks] differently.”
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