Public Health Response to Biological and Chemical Weapons: A WHO Guide, Second Edition

Public Health Response to Biological and Chemical Weapons includes information to guide preparedness for and the response to the intentional use of biological and chemical weapons. Although it is recognized that the likelihood of attacks using these weapons might be low, this guide highlights the magnitude of its potential impact on civilian populations and the need for public health authorities, in close collaboration with other government institutions, to develop contingency plans. Recommendations and advice included in this document are drawn from the experience and expertise of many specialists throughout the world.

This guide comprises five main chapters. Advice on how to assess the threats to public health posed by biological and chemical weapons is followed by a review of the characteristics of these weapons that influence dissemination patterns, and help foresee short- and long-term consequences. Two types of weapons are addressed: those designed for warfare purposes and the ones to be used in terrorist attacks. The most comprehensive chapter –on public health preparedness- establishes a number of planning principles by taking consecutive steps, from risk identification and assessment through the introduction of risk reduction strategies, to many specific actions required for an appropriate and adequate response.

The guide also explains why response plans must be developed as an integral component of existing natio-nal emergency plans, and discusses the need to have strong systems for disease and epidemiologic survei-llance, in order to detect both natural and deliberate outbreaks. Other chapters cover the preventive legal framework provided by treaties, and describe international aid sources.

In addition, a profile of characteristics of the main 11 biological agents that might be used in an attack is provided. This may help governments develop their plans for early detection and appropriate responses. Similar information is also included on representative groups of toxins and chemical agents.

The Spanish version of this guide is a contribution of PAHO to its Spanish-speaking member States, and aims to strengthen their capacity to cope with the consequences of the deliberate use of chemical and biological weapons to public health.

The book is also available on the Internet at: www.paho.org/desastres