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| ISSN:1684-193X | Updated Sep 26, 2002 |
Annals of Disaster Medicine
| Contents: Volume 1, Supplement 1; Sep, 2002 | |
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Bioterrorism: A New Challenge to Emergency Physicians | |
| Tzong-Luen Wang, MD, PhD | |
| Abstract ---The possibility of an attack by terrorists using nuclear, biologic, or chemical weapons is a new challenge to the practice of emergency physicians. The severity of this problem is unclear and unpredictable, and its risk assessment is limitedly analyzed. Although conventional explosives remain the most common weapon used by terrorists, the possibilities from nuclear, biologic, and chemical attacks will increase over time. According to the military terminology, the acronym CBRNE (chemical, biologic, radiologic, nuclear, explosive) have been provided. Among them, biologic agents are usually preferred by terrorist because of their impacts on physiological and psychological threatening. We therein introduce the concepts of bioterrorism here and provide some guidelines for its preparedness and response. | |
| Key words---Bioterrorism; Preparedness; Response; Emergency Physician |
