Wiley Handbook of Science and Technology for Homeland Security, 4 Volume Set

MITIGATING PUBLIC HEALTH RISKS FROM AN AGROTERROR ATTACK

CRAIG HEDBERG

Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota

1 INTRODUCTION

The public health risks from a potential agroterror attack directed against crops or vegetation could be viewed in a very broad sense as defined by the World Health Organization, or more narrowly in terms of the effects of exposure to specific agents. While it is necessary to consider the social impact of potential agroterrorism attacks when evaluating risk communication strategies for moving from response to recovery, the task of mitigating public health risks needs to start from the perspective of specific agents and exposure pathways.

The first step of mitigation is recognition. The public health system in the United States operates as a highly distributed network of local and state public health agencies that collect information from laboratories, clinicians, and individual citizens. The process of surveillance involves the ongoing collection, analysis, and dissemination of this information to form the basis of public health action [1]. In the surveillance of foodborne diseases this may range from an intervention at a restaurant identified as the source of a highly localized outbreak, to a multistate outbreak investigation involving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the federal food safety agencies. Any intentional contamination event would also involve ...