Terrorism and Public Health: A Balanced Approach to Strengthening Systems and Protecting People

The first edition of this book was published almost a decade ago to provide a comprehensive examination of the relationship between terrorism and public health. It also described what health professionals could do to mitigate the consequences of terrorist attacks and threats, and to address the underlying causes of terrorism.

This completely revised second edition provides new information on emergency preparedness and response planning as well as lessons learned from responses to terrorist attacks in the United States and other countries. Expert scholars and practitioners of public health explore the historical roots of terrorism and address potential terrorist weapons and their control. They also explore in detail the adverse health consequences of the "war on terror," including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, other violations of human rights and civil liberties, diversion of resources, and the adverse impact on civil society organizations.

Arguing for a more balanced approach to preparedness, the editors and contributors to this second edition describe challenges and opportunities for strengthening the public health system, protecting disaster rescue and recovery workers, and promoting domestic and international law related to terrorism.

Barry S. Levy, MD, MPH, is an Adjunct Professor of Public Health at Tufts University School of Medicine and a consultant in occupational and environmental health. Trained in internal medicine and preventive medicine, he served as a medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and as a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He worked in Kenya for the Carter Center and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Dr. Levy served as a program director at Management Sciences for Health and as Executive Director of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. Overall, he has worked in more than 20 countries. He served as President of APHA.

Victor W. Sidel, MD, is Distinguished University Professor of Social Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and an Adjunct Professor of Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College. Trained in internal medicine and public health, he headed the Community Medicine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and chaired the Department of Social Medicine at Montefiore and Einstein. Dr. Sidel was a founder of the Physicians for Social Responsibility and the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which was the recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. He has served as President of both organizations, and as President of APHA and the Public Health Association of New York City.