Bill Helps State Prepare For Bioterror

N.C. Rep. Philip Baddour, D-Wayne, said that although state health officials always have had authority to deal with bioterrorist attacks, the bill gives them the additional oversight necessary to properly deal with such a situation.

"We have given powers to the state health director to respond to bioterrorism for a long time, but now she can take charge with enormous powers necessary to test and handle the problem quickly," he said.

DHHS spokesman Bill Furney also said that although the use of quarantine is not new, the bill more clearly outlines the department's authority.

"The bill just clears up any questions about the ability to restrict movement as a means of containing the spread of disease," he said.

He added that there are no specific bioterrorism threats to the United States now.

But Chris Hoke -- chief of the Office of Regulatory and Legal Affairs, a division of public health at the NC DHHS -- said the legislation is necessary even if there are no concrete threats.

Hoke, who drafted the bioterrorism bill, said the state should take all necessary precautions in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

"September 11 caught all of us by surprise," Hoke said. "We are not taking any chances. We'll be better equipped to protect (North Carolina) against chemical, nuclear and biological warfare."

Bioterrorism is a viable threat for residents of North Carolina, said State Health Director Leah Devlin.

She said that last fall the state spent an intensive two weeks investigating a potential bioterrorism scare from Florida that might have spread to North Carolina.

"It's important to know that quarantine and isolation procedures vary," she said. "Quarantine is when you isolate someone that is not sick but may have been exposed. Quarantine can be restriction of movement."

Devlin said people would be isolated if they become sick from a bioterrorism attack and placed in an isolation facility if the disease is severely infectious.

The system is in place to keep citizens safe from communicable diseases, she said.

Baddour said he thinks most people likely will submit voluntarily to quarantine if the need arises. He added that it is more important that the bill specify the proper procedures and statutes to follow rather than detail how long a quarantine should last.

Baddour also said the bill passed unanimously in the House because legislators recognized its importance.

"It's a great idea and everyone recognized that it was something we should do," he said. "We need to be prepared."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.