Terrorism: the Epidemiology of Fear

Ronald LaPorte, PhD.,

Francois Sauer, M.D.,

Carlos Gamboa, M.D.,

Tony Villasenor, BS,

Rania Saad, MD., and

Eugene Shubnikov, M.D.

ShockDisbeliefDepressionAngerFearHelplessness

Where did our children and community receive Terrorism

Information Sept. 11-20

Global Health NetworkSept. 1, 2001

Towards an Internet Civil Defence against BioterrorismLancet

Germans

Sept 10Rules of Engagement

Approaches to Homeland DefenseSept. 10

Sensors Better Laboratories Public Health Surveillance Data Mining Surveillance

Approaches to Homeland DefenseSept. 11

Approaches to Homeland DefenseNow

Sensors Better Laboratories Public Health Surveillance Data Mining Surveillance

Anatomy of a Terrorist Attack

Preparation5 years

Execution 1 day

Diagnosed case 3 days

First Death

Multiple deaths

Sensors Better Laboratories Public Health Surveillance Data Mining Surveillance

Maximum 1-2 dayImprovement

Approaches to Homeland DefenseNow

“A universal theme of the revolutionaries is that America spends entirely too much money buying slightly better versions of weapons it already has, at the expense of serious improvement” NYTimes, 3/10/02

Can these systems transform homeland defense?

Sensors Better Laboratories Public Health Surveillance Data Mining Surveillance

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Using Sept. 10 technologyMaximum Improvement, 1-2 daysRisk Reduction = <5%

Can these systems transform homeland defense?

Bioterrorism is not an Emerging Disease

Who is Mr. H?

“…warfare seeks to conquer territories and capture cities;

terrorism seeks to hurt a few people and to scare a lot of people in order to make a point” NYTimes, 1/6/2000

“Putting the horror in the minds of the audience, and not necessarily on the screen”

Click on Horror

Hitchcock’s mission in life:“to simply scare the hell out of people”

Old PH view of Bioterrorism

Pathogen = Infectious AgentDamage = Morbidity and MortalityModel = Emerging Disease Epidemiology

New PH view of Bioterrorism

Pathogen = HateDamage = FearModel = Epidemiology of Fear and Hate

New Models

Internet Civil Defense CSI epidemiologists Educational Deterrent against terrorism

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