Exam 15: Understanding Biological Threats and Public Health Preparedness in Homeland Security

For a biological event to be an effective weapon, it should ideally have high toxicity, be fast acting, be predictable in its impact, and have a capacity for survival outside the host for enough time to infect the victim.

The core functions of which of the following need to be supplemented by specialized training, procedures, laws, regulations, and planning, so that all relevant sectors can operate effectively and in a coordinated fashion during a crisis?

The concepts of preparedness and response are typically included in "security" and not in "defense."

The purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau, which was located in the War Department and only existed for 7 years, was to assist in disaster relief.

Perhaps the only example of a specific, multisectoral public health preparedness and response planning document from the pre-Ebola era is the Avian Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan from 2006.

As part of an effort to build the national infrastructure for research, the NIAID established which of the following?

The core capabilities of the national emergency management level are organized into which of the following?

What is the Fink Report?

In recognition of the challenges posted by sample management and storage, and prompted largely by the perceived shortcomings of the global response to Ebola, there has been renewed interest in developing global guidelines for which of the following?

Formal recognition of disease as a security threat did not begin to take form until the 1990s.

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the nation, for the first time, began to speak collectively about which of the following?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, specifically, supports research into the basic biology and pathogenesis of threat agents, many of which are not well understood.

For the public health and medical communities to be prepared for and to respond appropriately to CBRN threats, they must work closely with a wide range of communities.

Which of the following refers to the knowing or malicious use of a biological agent to affect the agricultural industry or food supply?

Who conducts domestic investigation of suspected biological weapons use?

The prospect of bioterrorism has raised legitimate concerns about the potential abuse of published information.

What is NBIC?

What are the different types of biological weapons?

Public information officers from all other U.S. government agencies that are supporting the response will work to provide a two-way flow of information between agencies to better inform the response and the decision makers as they weigh options and decisions.

Biorisk management is the development of strategies incorporating both biosafety and biosecurity techniques to minimize the occurrences of biorisks and manage the consequences.