Dr. Philip Tierno the director of clinical microbiology and diagnostic immunology at NYU Medical Center was Wednesday night's guest. Discussing the recent SARS outbreak, he said the virus appeared to have three means of transmission: person to person, contact with inanimate objects, and airborne (such as with a sneeze or cough). One of his concerns was that the virus may be capable of surviving on environmental surfaces for lengthy periods.

"There's no question that bioterrorism is here to stay," said Dr. Tierno the author of The Secret Life of Germs(1). He does feel though that a number of threats such as those to the water and food supply may be overstated because of their impracticality in hurting large numbers. Rather attacks "will be small in scale and nature," Tierno predicted. He referred to chemicals such as sarin gas as a "boutique weapon," that produces low casualties. Yet Tierno warned that quite a few nations beyond Iraq possess chemical or biochemical weapons or the abilities to make them, including Iran, Libya, China, ex-Soviet nations, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

1. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743421876/ctoc

Bumper Music

Bumper music from Wednesday April 09, 2003