Volume 9, Number 5—May 2003
Perspective
Planning against Biological Terrorism: Lessons from Outbreak Investigations
David A. Ashford*
, Robyn M. Kaiser*, Michael E. Bales*, Kathleen Shutt*, Amee Patrawalla*, Andre McShan*, Jordan W. Tappero*, Bradley A. Perkins*, and Andrew L. Dannenberg*
, Robyn M. Kaiser*, Michael E. Bales*, Kathleen Shutt*, Amee Patrawalla*, Andre McShan*, Jordan W. Tappero*, Bradley A. Perkins*, and Andrew L. Dannenberg*Table 1
Epidemic Intelligence Service field investigations involving unknown agents and potential agents of bioterrorism, 1988–1999
| Agent | Frequency | % of investigations (n = 1,099) |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown infectious agenta |
41 |
3.7 |
| Vibrio choleresis |
18 |
1.6 |
| Yersinia pestis |
11 |
1.0 |
| Viral hemorrhagic fever virus |
7 |
0.6 |
| Bacillus anthracis |
3 |
0.3 |
| Clostridium botulinum |
3 |
0.3 |
| Coxiella burnetii |
1 |
0.1 |
| Francisella tularensis |
1 |
0.1 |
| Total | 85 | 7.7 |
aIn these cases, the outbreak was considered to be caused by an infectious agent because of the characteristics of the illness and outbreak.
