Will the nation be ready for the next bioterrorism attack? Mending gaps in the public health infrastructure.

This paper provides an overview of critical weaknesses in existing public health preparedness capabilities and discusses current policy initiatives to address these shortcomings. It examines developmental needs related to communication and coordination, information systems, laboratories, the development and distribution of vaccines and other countermeasures, emergency medical preparedness and response, and the public health workforce. The paper summarizes the current status of federal and state plans to respond to these developmental needs and touches on the future challenges likely to emerge as these plans are implemented.