Useful Links for Deliberate and Accidental Releases

Cabinet Office

UK Resilience page provides information on emergency planning and support for emergency preparedness, response and recovery. Advice on malicious threats, including chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) attack, includes: Strategic National Guidance: The decontamination of buildings, infrastructure and open environment exposed to Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear materials (January 2011).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The CDC's Emergency Preparedness and Response pages provides information relating to the public health aspects of emergency preparedness and response, including links to specific hazards such as bioterrorism, chemical emergencies and radiation emergencies.

Department of Health

DH Emergency Planning involves making NHS contingency plans and preparing for specific types of disasters and attacks.  Key documents on this website include:

• Emergency Planning: UK Reserve National Stock for Major Incidents (17 February 2010) 
• Patient Group Directions and guidance, including biological countermeasures
• Link to DH Smallpox Plan(15/12/2003) Guidelines for smallpox response and management in the post-eradication era (smallpox plan)
• Smallpox mass vaccination: An operational planning framework (24 June 2005)
• Smallpox vaccination of Regional Response Groups: information for health care workers administering or receiving the smallpox vaccine (6 October 2006)

Health and Safety Executive

The HSE's Biological or Chemical Threats by Post guidelines give advice on practical steps to take when dealing with suspect packages.

University of Minnesota

The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at University of Minnesota web site is a useful source of information on the Category A agents with comprehensive overviews of the pathogenesis, microbiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prophylaxis of these bioagents.  It also provides information for public health preparedness and emerging infectious disease response.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre

The Center for Biosecurity at UPMC site has disease specific pages with information, analysis, and recommendations related to the agents and diseases representing the greatest biological threats. The homepage contains links to relevant areas and resources including the journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism.

WHO Guidance

Public Health Response To Biological And Chemical Weapons, 2004 The second edition of this book includes chapters on biological agents, toxins, chemicals, food and water safety and principles of protection.

Teaching slides for Smallpox A presentation that includes day-by-day photographs showing progression of disease and also differential diagnosis of smallpox from chickenpox. The page contains thumbnails of 36 jpgs - click on any to enlarge picture and access the presentation.