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A Public Health Strategy for a Global Challenge

Roger L. Shapiro, MD; Charles Hatheway, PhD; John Becher, RPH; David L. Swerdlow, MD

JAMA. 1997;278(5):433-435.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Botulism is a neuroparalytic disease caused by a neurotoxin produced from an anaerobic spore-forming bacterium known as Clostridium botulinum.¹ The lethal potency of this toxin has mandated intensive surveillance and control measures in the United States. Recent outbreaks of botulism have raised questions regarding the international supply and therapeutic use of botulism antitoxin, and reports that national governments² and terrorist groups³ have stockpiled botulism toxin have increased levels of concern regarding global preparedness for an intentional episode of botulism poisoning. It is estimated that as little as 1 g of aerosolized botulism toxin has the potential to kill at least 1.5 million people, and modern techniques of aerosolization via tactical ballistic missiles or aeronautical spraying may be capable of disseminating up to 60% of this dosage to a target population.⁴

A description of the clinical features of aerosolized botulism toxin poisoning appears elsewhere in this issue. . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga.

Footnotes
Corresponding author: Roger L. Shapiro, MD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Mailstop A-38, Atlanta, GA 30333 (e-mail:rss9@cdc.gov).

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