Global Security Newswire

U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order last week that directs government agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service, to formulate a plan for dispersing medical countermeasures following a biological strike, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Oct. 2, 2008).

"This policy would seek to: (1) mitigate illness and prevent death; (2) sustain critical infrastructure; and (3) complement and supplement state, local, territorial, and tribal government medical countermeasure distribution capacity," the order stated.

The order asserted that the Postal Service has the ability to quickly deliver medical countermeasures for "self-administration" to residents in communities all over the country. "The federal government shall pursue a national U.S. Postal Service medical countermeasures dispensing model to respond to a large-scale biological attack," it said.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have been directed to collaborate with the postal system on formulating a "dispensing model for U.S. cities to respond to a large-scale biological attack, with anthrax as the primary threat consideration."

Government agencies have been given 180 days to prepare the medical aid dispersion model, in "consultation with" health and first-response agencies at the state and local levels (Agence France-Presse/Google News, Dec. 30, 2009).

Anthrax made national headlines in 2001 when letters containing the substance were mailed to media entities and lawmakers, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Aug. 3, 2009). Five people died after exposure to anthrax and 17 others become ill (Associated Press/New York Times, Dec. 30, 2009).