U.S. health system unprepared, report says [bird flu/bioterror]

WASHINGTON - The nation's public health system - the first line of defense against pandemic flu, a bioterror attack or other widespread health emergency - remains woefully unprepared to protect the American public, according to a report out Tuesday.

The annual study by Trust for America's Health found that emergency health preparedness remains inadequate five years after the 9/11 and anthrax attacks of 2001 raised fears of bioterrorism. The study also comes one year after Hurricane Katrina highlighted the need for the government to provide health care quickly when thousands of people are in need.

"The nation is nowhere near as prepared as we should be for bioterrorism, bird flu and other health disasters," said Jeff Levi, director of the trust. "We continue to make progress each year, but it is limited. As a whole, Americans face unnecessary and unacceptable levels of risk."

The report ranked the 50 states and Washington, D.C., on a 10-point system that assessed key indicators, such as whether each state is capable of distributing drugs and antidotes from a national stockpile, whether there are enough hospital beds and nurses to handle a patient surge, and whether states have enough labs and scientists to test for biological threats and other outbreaks.

CDC spokesman Von Roebuck agreed. After decades of neglect, the public health system has improved tremendously since 9/11, he said. But "more needs to be done."