The consequences of the intentional release of anthrax spores via the US Postal Service in October 2001 have heightened public awareness and concern towards the threat of bioterrorism. Following the lead of the intensified biodefence research plans in the USA, several European nations also foresee an urgency to protect their own citizens and to calm public anxiety. Protecting our citizens from bioterrorism is a public health responsibility that demands acceleration of high-level focused research in diagnosis, prevention, and treatments as well as active communication of this information to the public health sector and policy makers.
The current scenario indicates that smallpox and anthrax are our greatest immediate biosecurity threats. Stockpiling of smallpox vaccines answers one of these threats, however, we are comparatively unprepared to counter the threat of anthrax terrorism since there is not a safe anthrax vaccine and current therapies would be ineffective against multi-drug resistant strains. Thus, we see a great need to pool research resources and expertise to strengthen networking activities across Europe to accelerate and enhance the development of anti-anthrax (immediate aim) and other counter-bioterrorism biological products (long-term aim). We have planned a CA project, Anthrax-EuroNet, to achieve the following objectives: (1) exchange of information and performance of pilot tests to standardize methods and best practices that ensure production of safe anthrax vaccines and therapeutics; (2) network expansion, to form "Euro-InfectNet," to bring together academia, industry, policy makers, and the public health sector, to set priorities and response plans to counter anthrax attacks and hoaxes, and to boost competitive research to counteract the threat of other high-risk agents. Here, we will describe our activities and discuss how integration at the EU level will help protect our citizens and positively impact our economy.