22 May 1998: Link to White House anti-terrorism initiative
21 May 1998
From: "Paul M. Maniscalco" <paulm.maniscalco@worldnet.att.net> To: TERRORISM@mediccom.org Subject: US to Order Antibiotics for Bio-Terrorism Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 11:21:38 -0400 By TERENCE HUNT AP White House Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) -- Warning of the dangers of terrorism, President Clinton will order the stockpiling of antibiotics and vaccines for civilian protection in the event of biological warfare, a senior administration official said Wednesday. Clinton will announce the order in a commencement speech Friday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. The main focus of the address will be about domestic threats such as biological weapons, terrorism and possible penetration of the Internet, said the official, insisting on anonymity. He said Clinton will direct that adequate resources be maintained for civilians in case of germ warfare. Smallpox and anthrax are considered among the biggest potential biological weapon threats in the United States. Both diseases incubate for several days to weeks, making it hard to spot an outbreak even if doctors recognized early symptoms, which can mimic the flu. Anthrax is treatable only when caught early and only the military has a vaccine now. Americans are not vaccinated against smallpox anymore but about 8 million vaccine doses are stockpiled. Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Director Louis J. Freeh told Congress last month that U.S. cities and towns remain vulnerable to chemical and biological terrorism despite recent efforts to improve protections. "We need to make sure we have a significant stockpile -- and I don't think we do -- of vaccines and other medications," Reno told members of the Senate intelligence and judiciary committees. Freeh said an anthrax scare last February in Las Vegas served as a "dress rehearsal" that taught some important lessons. Two men were arrested Feb. 18 on suspicion of having deadly weapons-grade anthrax. The charges were dropped five days later when the material was found to be a veterinary vaccine. An administration review of how the United States would respond to a biological or chemical weapon attack from terrorists has been under way for about a year. Concern swelled among U.S. officials in March 1995, when a Japanese cult carried out a lethal nerve gas attack on the subway in Tokyo, killing 12 and injuring 5,000. Later that year, Iraq admitted having built a large arsenal of biological weapons -- and had been ready to use it four years earlier during the Gulf War.