At the American Dental AssociationÕs Bioterrorism Conference in Washington, D.C., Dr. Mike Alfano, Dean of the NYU School of Dentistry, stated that the war on terrorism will be a one-hundred-year war, one in which Òyour children and grandchildren will be affected.Ó

The war against terrorism is no longer front page news in our media.  However, there are many people working very hard to prepare to deal with a terrorist attack. 

Will a bioterror attack occur? It is very tempting to think that it will not. However, a look at the tactics of terrorists suggests that there will be a terrorist attack using biological weapons. 

The first attack against the World Trade Center in New York City occurred in 1993.  After that first foray, the terrorists watched how we reacted and what security measures were taken. It seems obvious they did their homework, coming back to attack our weaknesses. That second attack eight years later gave us glimpses into what these individuals are like. Consider:

¥ Terrorists are very, very patient. To us, eight years is a fairly long time. They view time very differently.

¥ Terrorists are dedicated. Any person willing to sacrifice his or her own life is very dedicated.

¥ Terrorists are innovative. Using our own planes for the attack against us was cunning and creative. Such thinking makes them very dangerous.

The media keeps repeating that Òweapons of mass destructionÓ have not been found. In the first Gulf War, evidence of bioweapon manufacturing was recorded and photographed. Dr. Greg Pohland showed the photographs at the 2002 Southeastern DistrictÕs continuing education course in Rochester. The photographs showed the fermentation vats and other pieces of equipment used for bioweapon manufacture in an Iraqi ÒpharmaceuticalÓ plant. Ken Alibek, the man who was head of the USSRÕs covert biological weapons program, provided us with many insights into this subject in his book Biohazard. I found the following quotes very interesting:

ÒEven the highest resolution satellite imagery canÕt distinguish between a large pharmaceutical plant and a weapons complex. The only conclusive evidence comes from firsthand information.Ó He goes on to say that we came to know the extent of the Iraqi germ warfare program in 1995 when Suddam HusseinÕs son-in-law, Hussein Kamel, defected. Alibek said, ÒKamel confirmed that Iraq had begun its program a decade earlier at the Muthanna State Establishment, 80 miles northwest of Baghdad, where researchers were cultivating anthrax, botulinum toxin, ricin, and aflatoxin, a poison that can be found in corn, pistachio nuts, and other crops.Ó He also stated, ÒWe spent decades building institutes and training scientists in India, Iraq, and Iran. For many years, the Soviet Union organized courses in genetic engineering and molecular biology for scientists from Eastern Europe, Cuba, Libya, India, Iran, and Iraq, among others. Some 40 were trained annually. Many of them now head biotechnology programs in their own countries. Some have recruited the services of their former classmates.Ó

Why then does the media keep raising the question of the existence of such a program?  Unfortunately, the media is probably wrong. We have already been tested by the 2001 anthrax attack. The terrorists observed how we reacted. There were six deaths, the government was effectively shut down, and many dollars were spent in the clean-up effort. Imagine what would have happened if the weapon had been one that was communicable! Our response system will be tested again if SARS returns and is brought into the United States.  This would be a ÒfreebieÓ for terrorists, giving them a golden opportunity to see how well the system works and how the people of the United States respond to measures such as quarantines.

How can we be part of the biodefense effort? For more than a year, the Minnesota Dental Association has worked with the Minnesota Department of Health at the state and local levels. A statewide registry has been developed and will be functional early this year. The registry will list health care volunteers, note their credentials, and identify them to the local agencies that will coordinate the disaster response. The registry will be presented at the Star of the North Meeting as part of ÒBioterrorism in Minnesota Ñ Is Your Office Prepared?Ó on Sunday, April 25, by Lisa Pogoff, Minnesota Department of Health Bioterrorism Workforce Planner. Dr. Louis DePaola headlines this seminar and will give an overview of bioterror agents. Terry O'Brien, attorney consultant to MDH, will talk about the legal issues of bioterrorism, and Bob Berg from the Office of Emergency Preparedness will speak about the system for organizing a disaster response. The seminar is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Dental AssistantsÕ Association and the Minnesota Dental Hygienists Association and is open to all office personnel.

I would simply close by saying that if a bioterror attack occurs, our friends, patients, and families are counting on people like us to be there to respond.

Star of the North Meeting 2004

ÒBioterrorism in Minnesota Ñ Is Your Office Prepared?Ó

Sunday, April 25, 2004 

8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Speakers:      Ms. Lisa Pogoff, Bioterrorism Workforce Planner,

                       Minnesota Department of Health

                       Louis DePaola, D.D.S., M.S.,

                           on ÒAn Overview of Bioterror AgentsÓ

                       Mr. Terry OÕBrien, attorney consultant to Minnesota Department of Health, on ÒLegal Issues of BioterrorismÓ

                       Mr. Bob Berg, Trainer, Office of Emergency Preparedness,

                        on ÒThe System for Organizing a Disaster ResponseÓ

Sponsored by the Minnesota Dental AssistantsÕ Association and the Minnesota Dental Hygienists Association. Open to all office personnel.