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Official Says U.S. Prepared for Bioterrorism
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said Sunday that the country is prepared for any kind of biological attack.
"We've got to make sure that people understand that they're safe. And that we're prepared to take care of any contingency, any consequence that develops from any kind of bioterrorism attack," Thompson said in a recorded interview to be broadcast on CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday night.
The secretary disclosed that eight staging areas around America are each stocked with 50 tons of medical supplies, including vaccines, antibiotics, gas masks and ventilators.
He said that the medical supplies can be moved within hours to the site of any bioterrorist attack and some 7,000 medical personnel are ready to respond to such a crisis.
Thompson said he does not have a gas mask or believe that one is necessary. "I don't think the American people should be scared into believing that they have to have a gas mask," he said.
According to a Newsweek poll released Saturday, almost half of Americans, 46 percent said that they are not too confident that the government is prepared to handle an attack with biochemical weapons. Over eight in 10 thought the use of such weapons is at least somewhat likely. The poll of 1,000 adults was conducted Thursday and Friday.
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