Who’s in charge?
Leadership during epidemics, bioterror attacks, and other public health crises
Laura H. Kahn

An imminent threat to public health, such as the swine flu outbreak, is no time for a muddled chain of command and contradictory decision-making. Who’s in charge? Leadership during epidemics, bioterror attacks, and other public health crises explores the crucial relationships between political leaders, public health officials, journalists and others to see why leadership confusion develops.

Who’s in charge? begins by looking at the overarching issues of leadership, public health administration and the threats of bioterrorism. It then examines five recent emergencies, namely: the 2001 anthrax attacks and 1993 cryptosporidium outbreak in the United States, the 2003 SARS outbreak in Toronto, the 2001 foot and mouth disease crisis and the decade-long battle against mad cow disease in the United Kingdom. In the latter two cases, leaders in veterinary medicine were interviewed for their experiences during these crises.

A perfect text for schools in public health, or as a reference for elected officials at every level of government, the book shows how each event developed step-by-step to pinpoint specific leadership issues. Engaging and absorbing, the work presents official reports, medical literature, first-person accounts from officials and journalists, and discussions of the role of law enforcement and the military during health care emergencies.

The book includes a comprehensive index organised by disease and by individuals involved in emergency response.

Laura H. Kahn is a physician and research scholar in the Program on Science and Global Security at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey