America's public health system is weak says CDC official

ATLANTA - A top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that the nation&#39;s public health system is weakened by inadequate training and outdated laws unfit to handle 21st-century risks. <br> <br> Doctor Julie Gerberding, one of two CDC officials in charge of bioterrorism, says the September eleventh attacks and persistent threats of bioterrorism have exposed a need to rethink the laws that govern public health. <br> <br> She says public health law must be modernized, saying many of our laws are out of date and have not been tested in the crucible of public health emergencies. <br> <br> She spoke to a conference of hundreds of doctors, attorneys, state legislators, and academics who have gathered here for a three-day conference on public health law. <br> <br> Dozens of states are considering updating their laws to deal with bioterrorism, trying to spell out exactly who has power to quarantine citizens, stockpile drugs and order vaccinations in a bioterror emergency. <br> <br> She says to improve the system, states must grant public health officials the legal authority to treat people in an emergency and that health officials also need better, updated training.