BioWatch and Public Health Surveillance: Evaluating Systems for the Early Detection of Biological Threats—Abbreviated Version, Summary (2009)
Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the anthrax letters, the ability to detect biological threats as quickly as possible became a top priority. In 2003 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced the BioWatch program, a federal monitoring system intended to speed detection of specific biological agents that could be released in aerosolized form during a biological attack.
The present volume evaluates the costs and merits of both the current BioWatch program and the plans for a new generation of BioWatch devices. BioWatch and Public Health Surveillance also examines infectious disease surveillance through hospitals and public health agencies in the United States, and considers whether BioWatch and traditional infectious disease surveillance are redundant or complementary.
Related Reports
- Effectiveness of National Biosurveillance Systems: BioWatch and the Public Health System—Interim Report
- Global Infectious Disease Surveillance and Detection: Assessing the Challenges, Finding Solutions—Workshop Summary
- Perspectives on the Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System: A Program Review
- Quarantine Stations at Ports of Entry: Protecting the Public's Health
