U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA Consumer magazine
November-December 2001
Table of Contents

HHS Responds to Terrorist Attacks

[Photos of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson at Ground Zero]

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson says that his agency's quick reaction to the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., demonstrated a high degree of preparedness. Nevertheless, Thompson says "there is more we can do--and must do--to strengthen our response."

In the days and weeks following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Thompson saw the destruction firsthand. He directed relief efforts ranging from disbursing emergency funds to those who suffered losses in the attacks to urging food industry trade groups to review their security plans.

Thompson also has worked to address concerns about biological and chemical assaults that have surged to the forefront since the attacks. Priorities listed by Thompson during his testimony on bioterrorism before a Senate subcommittee in October include:

The public health infrastructure. "Without question, this is our greatest need," Thompson says. A strong and coordinated response between federal, state and local governments is fundamental to the ability to respond effectively in an emergency. In addition, physicians and other medical professionals need to receive the training they require to become effective and efficient in identifying diseases from a biological attack.
Pharmaceuticals. "We must continue to accelerate production of vaccines and antibiotics, invest in research, bolster our stockpiles and add more 'push packs,''' says Thompson. Push packs are 50-ton collections of medical supplies strategically placed throughout the United States to deal with emergencies.
Food safety. "We need more inspectors to ensure the safety of our food supply," the secretary says. "The FDA can use more help in monitoring our food, for this is one area in which we must be most vigilant." Thompson says that HHS is working with the food industry to ensure that the production and delivery of their products are secure.
Security. "Public health is a national security issue," Thompson says. "It must be treated as such. Therefore, we must not only make sure we can respond to a crisis, but we must make sure that we are secure in defending our stockpiles, our institutions and our products."

Efforts at the FDA since Sept. 11 have focused on the protection of regulated products (foods and animal feed, radiologic devices, the blood supply, drugs, and vaccines) from contamination and tampering. In addition, the FDA staff has worked to ensure the availability of medical products (drugs, vaccines, and devices) necessary to public health preparedness for use against anthrax and other biological, chemical, or nuclear agents.

The FDA is working to build upon current surveillance capacities and to provide support for the detection and management of possible cases of product contamination. The agency also is developing strategies to seize illicit or contaminated products, to provide regulatory guidance to government agencies responsible for medical products in a public health emergency, and to communicate with manufacturers to ensure the availability of products needed to treat a biological agent.

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