In the News Links appear for content that is available online indefinitely. May 21, 2008
Is Milwaukee Prepared for a Bio-Terrorism Attack? Reported by Kent Wainscott. WISN, ABC TV Affiliate in Milwaukee, WI.
Dr. Eric Toner comments on the security afforded by BioWatch detectors, "At this point I would say that people who are in cities with BioWatch monitors are no safer than people who are in cities without BioWatch monitors."
March 6, 2008
Five years later, smallpox preparedness improved, by Jeffrey Young. The Hill.
With regard to the federal program to vaccine healthcare workers against smallpox, Dr. Eric Toner notes that the program "was ill-conceived from the beginning." February 29, 2008
KDWN Morning News. Host: Nathan Tannenbaum. KDWN News Radio Las Vegas.
Dr. Eric Toner was interviewed about ricin, following the discovery of the toxin in a Las Vegas hotel room: "Ricin has no use other than as a poison . . . there is no market for ricin itself; you make it from castor beans, and that's not difficult to do." January 29, 2008
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. Eric Toner about a recent incident involving a woman with tuberculosis who flew from India to Chicago and on to San Francisco, and the CDC's response in tracking other airline passengers: "TB is spread through the air, but requires prolonged contact. And so they're (CDC) tracking down people who flew with her from India to Chicago, and not those people who flew from Chicago to San Francisco, because the risk of catching the disease is really quite small with a short exposure."
January 1, 2008
HHS draft: Hospitals must purchase antivirals for pandemic influenza. Hospital Employee Health.
With regard to the new ruling that hospitals purchase antivirals for their employees, Dr. Eric Toner notes "It's likely you're not going to get people to work in those units if you don't provide them with prophylaxis." He also notes that "hospitals that have little money to spend are going to take a lot of convincing to spend it on this."
January 1, 2008
'Highest Risk' HCWS to get first pandemic vaccine. Hospital Employee Health.
Report refers to an article published in the journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism entitled “What Hospitals Should Do to Prepare for an Influenza Pandemic,” by Drs. Eric Toner and Richard Waldhorn of the Center for Biosecurity, and quotes Dr. Toner: "There are so many variables that can't be known until a pandemic starts. . . The best you can do is come up with an initial game plan that has to be modified."
December 4, 2007
Flu pandemic would cost hospitals billions, by Michael Smith. MedPage Today.
With regard to a study published in the Journal of Health Care Finance, author Dr. Eric Toner notes “. . .the expected negative financial impact on hospitals of a severe pandemic is significant.” November 20, 2007
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM
Radio interview with Dr. Eric Toner regarding Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21: “I think this is a remarkable document. . .It touches on what we consider the critical components for the healthcare sector, biosurveillance, countermeasure distribution, and community engagement, so it’s a great document.”
June 26, 2007
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. Eric Toner regarding Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis. Dr. Toner comments: ". . . we need rapid diagnostic tests for this organism and for other potentially serious emerging diseases; it shouldn't take us 5 months to make a diagnosis of this condition—we should be able to do it in hours or at least days." May 29, 2007
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. Eric Toner regarding CDC's flu protection guidelines. Dr. Toner notes "If it were a particularly bad strain of pandemic flu, yes, I would wear an N95 [respirator] at close contact [with a person infected with flu], and I would wear a mask out in public in a crowded situation." March 13, 2007
Review finds little evidence of airborne spread of flu, by Maryn McKenna. CIDRAP News.
Dr. Eric Toner is quoted: "A lot of our assumptions turn out to be based on urban legends, or extrapolations made from incomplete information . . ." February 27, 2007
Bird-flu vaccine goes before feds, by George E. Jordan. Star-Ledger (New Jersey).
Regarding an experimental flu vaccine, Dr. Eric Toner notes "This particular vaccine is not an answer to our prayers." February 13, 2007
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. Eric Toner regarding the state of hospital preparedness for large-scale emergencies in the U.S.: "We are concerned about a number of serious disaster scenarios—earthquakes and large-scale terrorism—and we don’t yet have a healthcare system that is at all prepared to handle that. It is a serious issue that needs attention from both the federal government and state government, individual hospitals, and individual communities. Without all these elements working together, we’re not going to get there." February 5, 2007
Hospitals unprepared for pandemic surge, by Dan Childs. ABC News.
Eric Toner comments: "In a moderate scenario, an additional 19 percent of non-ICU beds, 46 percent of ICU beds and 20 percent of ventilaros would be in use by flu patients . . . If we have something like the 1918 pandemic, we're in big trouble." February 1, 2007
Complacency could be deadly in pandemic. Hospital Employee Health.
Dr. Eric Toner is quoted: "I doubt we could handle a 1968 pandemic now. Our hospitals have trouble dealing with a bad flu season as it is." | 
