Urgent Threat

" There's a new report that claims nuclear weapons are not the biggest concern when it comes to potential terrorist attack in the United States. That is from the commission on the prevention of weapons of mass destruction proliferation and terrorism. Is there is such commission it's a bipartisan group created by the US congress and according to that bipartisan group's report. Biological weapons are what we should really be worried about. The report goes on to indicate that the US is actually pretty well prepared deal with a nuclear threat. But that appears to be because far more money has been spent battling Newt's been battling bio terror. With the now as the executive director of the W decommission. Retired air force colonel Rick Randall Larsen is with a scoreless great to see thanks for being here. -- should not be worried about bio terror I mean everybody tells -- New -- the biggest target and we're in the biggest spot New York I mean is that a concern."

" All of our cities or risk. Nuclear terrorism it is a threat but it's far harder for terrorist organization to do what we've been dealing with this nuclear threat for fifty years. Do political leaders this town understand it. The problem is the biological threat is not well understood by political leaders in this town. And that's part of the commission's job is to help educate them that this is far more likely it is not just the -- believes this many other commissions intelligence organizations believe. It is far more likely in the next three to four years we will have a bioterrorist event somewhere in the world. Possibly the United States if they set off a dirty bomb or figure out how to get some more sophisticated new -- one thing you know it happened. With -- biological. It's not even. It's not even assured that you'll know it happens is people start fallen out sick right. You're absolutely correct -- we all have an image of our mind what nuclear terrorism would look like a mushroom cloud over American city it's a very visual event. But terrorism is bioterrorism is terrorism in slow motion it's the terrorist bringing a pandemic to your community. We have a lot of people in this country right now who don't understand what a pandemic could be for flu. When I read statistics that people don't wanna get their flu shots that's because they don't properly understand the threat they should be out they're getting there seasonal flu shots and as soon as they're available there H1N1 shots. Biological terror would require that hospitals going to overdrive and it's my understanding that hospitals are about their capacity on average nationwide already. Hospitals are not ready -- I remember they ought inaugurations President Bush's second inauguration there were two icu beds available in Washington DC so and a third seriously injured patient came in. They would have been -- that's a serious problem. There are they that think they don't understand is there are things we can do. Rapid recognition of an attack response and recovery and one of the most important things America needs the capability to produce vaccines and therapeutics. Rapidly and less expensively than we do today -- were still making chicken would make it flu vaccine in chicken eggs. Which is how we did sixty years ago there's a lot of other technologies out there and for that matter the reason that the flu vaccine is behind in production because they couldn't get enough -- and there. It's answer me this why did get quite the Minister of Health of trying to get his flu vaccine this year about thirty days before any American school child I'd like an answer to that I'd liken it to do it do but I know the big -- gets -- first then giant can be the big dogs -- it's great society."