Appendix G
Bioterrorism: A National and Global Threat1
(Excerpts)
A substantial share of Russian scientific and organizational measures to counter bioterrorism are being carried out in conjunction with the existing system for combating infectious diseases. The main objectives in this system are
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increasing the effectiveness of epidemiological monitoring of infectious diseases on the basis of comprehensive use of computerized information and analytical systems, environmental monitoring, and collective immunity of the population
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developing regulations and methodologies with regard to infectious disease prophylaxis
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implementing federal and regional programs to promote the sanitary-epidemiological welfare of the population
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improving the infectious disease vaccination system
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expanding the public information system for persuading the population to take personal and societal measures for infectious disease prophylaxis
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strengthening the material and technical infrastructure of laboratories in the treatment and prophylaxis institutions and centers of the State Sanitary Epidemiological Surveillance Service, providing them with the necessary equip-
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ment, and introducing modern methods for detecting infectious disease pathogens (polymerase chain reaction, and others)
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stepping up scientific research in the area of diagnostics, epidemiology, treatment, and prophylaxis of infectious diseases.
SOURCE: Onishchenko, G.G., L.S. Sandakhchiev, S.V. Netesov, and R.A. Martynuk. 2003. Bioterrorism: A National and Global Threat. Vestnik Akademii Nauk [Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences] 73, no. 3. (March):195-204 (in Russian). Reprinted with the permission of the Russian Academy of sciences.
