The Roach Report - Living Terrors: What America Needs to Know to Survive the Coming Bioterrorist Catastrophe

The Roach Report

Living Terrors

Living Terrors
What America Needs to Know to Survive the Coming Bioterrorist Catastrophe
By Michael T. Osterholm and John Schwartz
Delacorte Press, (2000)
ISBN: 0-385-33481-8

Reviewed by Rochelle Caviness - April 29, 2002

With the catastrophic events of September 11th, worries about bioterrorism have come to the form. America has always been at risk of a bioterrorist attack, and in fact we have been attacked before. For example in 1984, members of the Rajneeshee cult contaminated several salad bars in Oregon. Over 750 became ill. (Pg. 85). Will it happen again? Unfortunately, the answer is probably yes. However, you must keep in mind that this was a 'small' and relatively harmless attack. What would happen if we suffered a major attack?

Living Terrors was first published in 2000, long before the anthrax 'mail' attack that recently occurred. Anthrax is but one of the many, potential, biological agents discussed in this book. This book not only discusses the possible threats and how attacks might be carried out, but it also offers advice on how you can increase your chances of surviving an attack by various biological agents.

This book was written by an epidemiologist (Michael T. Osterholm) and a science reporter (John Schwartz). Osterholm has brought to this work his years of in-depth knowledge of epidemiology, and Schwartz's his skill at translating complex information into easily readable form. Combined, they have succeeded in writing an easy-to-read and understandable book that offers the reader a brief overview of biological weapons and how they can be used by terrorist.

Each chapter begins with a fictionalized scenario of a biological attack, explaining how it occurred and its results. These scenarios not only help to illustrate the very real possibility that an attack might occur, but they also serve to highlight just how ill-prepared we are, as a nation, to deal with such an attack. While a large portion of this book concentrates on our vulnerability and our lack of preparedness, the authors also offer sound advice on how we can prepare, on both an individual and national level, for such an attack.

When this book was first released, many claimed that the authors were being alarmist. Now most acknowledge that this book represents a wake-up call. What came before may be the first pre-shocks of a catastrophic event yet to come. Will we be ready to counter a massive biological attack? Will the medical establishment be able to handle the massive casualties that could result in a major attack? Will there be enough medicines available to treat those stricken in a biological attack? And what about those diseases, such as smallpox, for which treatments don't exist, how will we, as a nation, will react to such an attack? These are all questions that the authors cannot answer. Hopefully such an attack will never occur, making this all just a chilling academic discourse. Events have proved, however, that we must treat such an eventuality as an inevitable event, and plan accordingly.

If you are fully cognizant of the threats we face by bioterrorist and are working feverishly to ensure that we are as prepared for such as an attack as we can be, then you can skip this book. However, for everyone else, this book should be required reading.... before it is too late! Reading this book may do nothing to stop an attack, but it will go a long way, on an individual level, in helping you prepare for such an attack, both mentally and physically. It will also help readers to become political activists working to ensure that their politicians take this threat seriously.

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