Bioterrorism Agents

Description

This course will review the characteristics of bioterrorism agents and their impact on public health. This course will also review case studies of several releases of common bioterrorism agents and provide resources that are available to Public Health agencies. This course has been designed to be self-directed and should not take more than two hours to complete. There will be a pre- and post-assessment to evaluate your level of knowledge before and after reviewing this online course. The questions are not designed to be difficult; they are simply an indication of progress and are used to ensure the information is understood before granting a certificate of completion.

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Define bioterrorism
• Understand bioterrorism trends
• List the major biological warfare agents
• Describe the CDC bioterrorism categories
• Recognize a biological warfare attack
• Describe the history and how each has been used as a bioweapon of the following bioterrorism agents
  • Anthrax
  • Variola (smallpox)
  • The Plague
  • Tularemia
  • Botulism
  • Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses
• Understand the effect/mode of toxicity of each bioterrorism agent
• Review the symptoms of each bioterrorism agent
• Describe the treatment options of each bioterrorism agent
• List the ten steps to manage bioterrorism agents
• Describe the interim notification procedure
• Define the resources available to you in the event of bioterrorism

Intended Audience

Public health practitioners who want to be prepared for a bioweapon attack or accidental release. No prior knowledge is necessary.