The recent bioterrorism attack drives United States to panic. Bioterrorism in the intentional spreading of virus, bacteria, fungus, biologic toxins for the purpose of collapse of society. We are exposed to the danger of bioterrorism attack against the American Force and many American enterprises in Korea. In this article I have reviewed several scenarios of bioterrorism, its possibility in Korea and the governmental plan to cope with anticipating terrorism attack. Especially before big international event like the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, the necessity of perfect provision against emergency status has grown recently.
The means of bioterrorism require such conditions; easy to handle and hide, low production cost, fast transmission, high mortality, ability to cause social chaos and to make a nation to exhaust its public health resources. Smallpox, anthrax, pest, hemorrhagic fever and botulinus toxin are the first anticipated means of terrorism attack.
The basic considerations when public health agencies establish national defence plan against bioterrorism must be 1) arraying various laws and regulations to meet the realistic needs, 2) education for public health personnels and support of concerned academic society, and 3) information collection and cooperative project with other countries.
Korean government has made efforts to prepare defence plans in the last several years, but recent bioterrorism attacks have raised the needs of more perfect ones for us. The National Institute of Health/Ministry of Health and Welfare tries to strengthen the existing national defence systems against terrorism and to reduce possible damages.
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