Are we ready to deal with an anthrax scare?

The Defence Research and Development Organisation proposes training docs in handling biological warfare victims

In 2001, letters containing anthrax spores were sent to several media organisations and two Democrat senators in the United States. The attacks killed five people.

What happened in the US can happen here too, as many rogue regimes across the world are still believed to have stockpiles of chemical and biological agents that can be used to launch attacks.
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With the threat of a chemical, biological and nuclear warfare lurking around, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has embarked on a pilot project to train young doctors in dealing with such a scenario.

"There is no element of doubt over the possibility of a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) attack in the country.

We need to train doctors to deal with such a scenario and there is a serious need to raise awareness over the issue," said Chief Controller, Research and Development and Life Sciences, DRDO, Dr W Selvamurthy.
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The elite research organisation has proposed an addition to the syllabus of the regular MBBS course for the orientation of future doctors about chemical and biological warfare.
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"We have suggested students should be taught CBRN scenario as a subject," Selvamurthy said.
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The DRDO recently organised a display of its Mobile Decontamination Vehicle (MDV), which remains the only option in case of any CBRN attack. But top DRDO officials agreed there is a serious dearth of doctors to deal with such a situation.
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"Initially, we have started training a group of 60 doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Ram Manohar Lohia and GB Pant hospitals in Delhi. These doctors will further train others," said Selvamurthy.
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The MDV display was organised in collaboration with AIIMS and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), which is the nodal agency to deal with any disaster in the country.

"The Delhi government has decided to train 600 doctors to deal with chemical, biological and radiological attacks ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
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The NDMA is acting as a facilitator by providing necessary guidelines," said coordinator, CBRN & NDMA, Maj Gen JK Bansal.
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He added that a similar model will be replicated in Mumbai and Kolkata and while the DRDO has included doctors from Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai in its pilot project, plans are afoot for Kolkata.

River saviour

The dying Yamuna river which has left Delhi parched for water could be disastrous news in case of a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attack.
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"We need a big water body to decontaminate the surroundings in case of any such attack.

Half of the operation is over if we get sufficient amount of water supply as the decontamination agents needs to be sprinkled with water only," said Maj Gen Bansal.