Is Connecticut prepared to detect and respond to an attack with biologic agents such as anthrax or smallpox?
Yes, we are much more prepared than we were three years ago. The key is for physicians and other health care providers to recognize these diseases when they occur and report them to the Department of Public Health. The DPH outbreak investigation unit then will begin work immediately to help determine who has been exposed and what to do to limit the number of people who become ill – much as is currently done for non-intentional outbreaks of illness. Resources from the Centers for Disease Control are immediately available to help, and the FBI will intervene as soon as it is suspected that there was an intentional effort to expose people to infectious agents.
