U.S. unprepared for bio-catastrophes, reports say.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: SECURITY BEAT: Homeland Defense Briefs

WHETHER THE THREAT TO THE NATION'S HEALTH comes from naturally occurring diseases or a deliberate attack from biological weapons of mass destruction, the United States is woefully unprepared, a pair of recent reports suggested.

There are lots of plans on paper to respond to such threats, but words on paper don't translate into capabilities, said the authors of "Biosecurity: A Comprehensive Action Plan," produced by the Center for American Progress.

Since 9/11, the United States has spent $30 billion to counter both naturally occurring pandemics and big-weapons attacks. Most of these funds have gone toward the stockpiling of vaccines, the report noted

The infrastructure for stopping the spread of diseases is the problem, the report said. In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the federal government has emphasized that it will only play a support role in the event of an outbreak. It will be up to the approximately 3,000 local, county, city, state and tribal governments to detect and respond to such incidents.

"Unfortunately, the reality is that they cannot," the report said. Only seven states and four cities have the capability to administer stockpiled vaccines, the report said.

One problem is that the two communities concerned with big-attacks and naturally occurring infectious diseases have been working in a stovepipe manner for decades, the report said. It recommended the two communities pool their resources and create an "all hazards approach" to tackling such emergencies.

Julie Gerberding, director of the...