Children are susceptible to and may be disproportionately affected by chemical and biological acts of terrorism, and pediatricians need to be prepared to provide care in the event of such attacks, according to an updated policy statement and technical report published by the AAP.
In the technical report, the authors said public health initiatives developed following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2011, have not ensured the protection of children. Preparedness has evolved to an “all-hazards approach, in which response plans for terrorism are blended with those for unintentional disasters or outbreaks, [for example] natural events such as earthquakes or pandemic influenza” they wrote. But in the policy statement, the authors said stagnant or decreased funding for preparedness and response at the state and local levels “potentially [leaves] communities vulnerable].”

As the roles of pediatricians and public health agencies grow, only a coordinated readiness and response effort will ensure the safety of medical and mental health for all children, the authors said.
authors Sarita Chung, MD, FAAP, a physician at Boston Children’s Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Carl R. Baum, MD, FACMT, FAAP, a professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, told Healio.