Prepare for an attack

By Senator Bob Graham
Miami Herald, December 6, 2009

The shortage of H1N1 vaccine underscores the severe lack of U.S. preparedness in responding to pandemics, whether through natural disease or man-made bioterrorism. We rely on a 60-year-old production method, based on chicken eggs, which is a slow process. The United States needs to be able to produce vaccines and other medicines faster and less expensively.

Think about it: There were six months of warning for the H1N1 pandemic. A bioterrorism attack will have none. Advance preparation is not optional; it's an urgent necessity.

The solution is to create an infrastructure of surveillance, communication and dissemination of large quantities of safe vaccines and medicine, produced through modern methods that can be quickly scaled up, on demand, and will shave months off the typical six-to-nine months now needed. This is our best deterrence to a biological attack and the reduction of consequences should it occur.

The Congressional Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, which I chair, recognized the shortage of the H1N1 vaccine could be a teaching moment. But rather than hold another public hearing, we decided to use social media to engage and educate. We produced a video (fastervaccines.org) and launched discussions on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

For me, it has been an important experiment. According to the national Civic Health Index, young people who use social networking sites for civic purposes are more likely to engage in their own communities. The Obama campaign created a phenomenal organizing tool through social media. I wanted to see whether we could engage people on our issue: avoiding the proliferation and use of biological or nuclear weapons of mass destruction.
We launched in late October and have seen a cross-section of opinions -- voices of support and some attacks. There is a chaotic town hall quality, but everyone gets a turn.

Common questions have emerged.

Are vaccines safe? A lot of people don't trust vaccines. Or the government. Or pharmaceutical companies. PhilipB's post reflects the confusion, ``I simply just want THE TRUTH.'' The fact is, vaccines save lives around the world, whether developed from chicken eggs or new methods. Safety is critical, and, as ``J'' noted in a blog, we also need to support the Food and Drug Administration.

Are the alternatives to chicken eggs safe? Yes. A process called ``cell culture'' is already in place in Europe and China and does not require eggs. Vaccines for polio and the modern smallpox vaccine have been produced for decades using this technology. The United States has invested in cell culture technologies, but none are yet available.

Is the biothreat overblown? No. Just two or three pounds of anthrax scattered over a major city could kill more Americans than the number who died in World War II, according to the National Counter Terrorism Center. Cleanup and other economic costs could exceed $1.8 trillion.

Our bipartisan commission unanimously concluded that unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency, it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013 -- and that a biological attack is more likely than nuclear.

In addition to questions, concerns and criticisms, there is also a desire to take action. Irishgawdess asked, ``Are we just a nation of `wishers and hopers?' '' And a Facebook visitor wrote: ``It's amazing that we can watch Congress spend nearly $1 trillion to stimulate our economy, but we still rely on archaic methods to produce vaccines for serious health problems.'' Or listen to sposten; ``Let's create a government-owned and -run state-of-the-art vaccine production capacity that this country deserves and badly needs. It is time we transcend the old-fashioned chicken egg method of production of vaccines and move this field into the 21st century.''

monitoring and responding to those public discussions and then share perspectives with the people in Washington. I hope more people will join the conversation.

Bob Graham is a former U.S. senator from Florida and chairman of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. His most recent book is America, The Owner's Manual: Making Government Work for You.