After the anthrax attacks of fall 2001, Congress made the single largest investment in state and local public health capacities since World War II. But after spending almost $3 billion to date on public health preparedness, how much better prepared are we for a terrorist attack?

In the final report of the Working Group on Bioterrorism Preparedness, a group of leading public health policy experts and practitioners conclude that the new federal funding has resulted in considerable improvements to the U.S. public health system, but that substantial vulnerabilities remain. The group found that without clearer definitions of what constitutes preparedness and standards for achieving it, the infusion of funds may not succeed in enabling the public health system to respond effectively to a future bioterrorist attack.

Download the press release (PDF).

On January 13, a panel discussion was held for the release of the report, featuring Georges Benjamin, Executive Director, American Public Health Association; Ed Thompson, Chief of Public Health Practice, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Elin Gursky, Principal Deputy for Biodefense, ANSER; and moderated by Leif Wellington Haase, Program Officer and Healthcare Fellow, The Century Foundation. Download a transcript of the discussion here (PDF).