US to recruit mail carriers for terrorism response plans
US Postal Service volunteers are set to become part of anti-terrorism plans in five American cities, delivering medication in the event of an attack using biological agents like antrax. The US Government is to issue $400,000 in grants to municiapal authorities in Louisville, Boston, Philadelphia, San Diego and Minneapolis/St Paul to set up initial planning and exercises.
Half of the grant money will go to the Minnesota Department of Health, which has already completed initial planning and exercises under the National Postal Model initiative. It will take the next step of conducting a full-scale exercise simulating an anthrax attack in an urban environment.
Grants of $50,000 will go to Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government in Kentucky, the Boston Public Health Commission, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, and the San Diego Health and Human Services Agency.
Funds are being made available by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, part of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
The initiative will see USPS letter carriers recruited as volunteers to quickly deliver antibiotics to homes in the event of an anthrax attack.
Rapid response
The Departent of Health said involving mail carriers in antiterrorism response plans would mean residents receiving medication more quickly than the existing plans, which involve central dispensing centers being set up and people queuing up to receive medication.
Ideally, preventative antibiotics need to be administered to victims within 48 hours of exposure, but federal officials say the USPS has the “unique ability” to deliver the drugs to every residence in a designated area within 12 hours, relieving strain on local emergency services.
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dr. Nicole Lurie said: “The fatality rate for people whose lungs are infected with anthrax is extremely high if they do not receive antibiotic treatment, which means the quicker health professionals can get antibiotics into people’s hands, the quicker we can protect health and save lives.”
“The postal model offers an additional tool for local health departments to begin treating people potentially exposed to anthrax,” Dr Lurie added.
The US Food and Drug Administration has granted special permission to hand out antibiotics to the USPS volunteers prior to a bioterrorist attack, so that the volunteers can immediately deliver medications to the rest of the community. A new online screening tool has been developed to ensure that the USPS volunteers can take the medication.
The National Postal Model has been in development since December 2009, with the cooperation of USPS, the US Department of Homeland Security, National Association of Letter Carriers and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association.
Once fully tested, the National Postal Model could be used by any health authorities across the United States.
