State takes stock of antibiotic supplies
The state is surveying Alaska pharmacies to see if residents in fear of anthrax are hoarding antibiotics and to determine the level of drugs available in the state in case of an outbreak here.
The state began the surveys on Wednesday and plans to monitor pharmacies regularly to measure the supply of drugs in Alaska, said Jay Livey, commissioner of the state Department of Health and Social Services.
"This is precautionary for us at this point," Livey said. "We just want to find out how much is being dispensed and how much is out there."
In the event of an anthrax outbreak in Alaska, the state first would turn to local pharmacies to supply drugs for treatment, then tap stockpiles kept by the federal government in the Lower 48.
However, Alaska health officials are rethinking that policy and questioning whether the state should stockpile its own drugs, said Dr. Beth Funk of the state epidemiology office.
"We are talking about the issue ... because we are very distant from the Lower 48," said Funk at a statewide press conference on Wednesday.
Stockpiling "is something we need to consider for Alaska and we don't have a definitive answer on that yet, but we are in the process of evaluating that," Funk added.
The state has not found evidence of anthrax in Alaska, but Gov. Tony Knowles called the press conference in response to numerous anthrax scares in recent days.
The state public health lab so far has tested 21 samples taken from suspicious packages and substances. Three samples tested negative, six were negative in preliminary results and 12 are pending, said Adjutant Gen. Phil Oates, commissioner of the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
The state's response to potential threats has strained state services, said Knowles, noting he will ask legislative leaders for extra money to fund anti-terrorism measures, including a new office of homeland security to oversee state efforts.
"As we take a look at the whole bio-chemical aspect of terrorism, that's not anything the state is prepared to deal with in any of our resource budgets," said Knowles.
Knowles did not give specifics on how much money he would request, saying he will release details within 30 days. But he floated the idea of hiring more state troopers and more people in the state Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Environmental Conservation.
He also questioned whether the state should play a more active role in protecting the privately owned, 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline from terrorists.
"This is clearly a national asset and a state asset to which the interest goes above and beyond the private ownership and security that is being provided to it," he said.
House Speaker Brian Porter, an Anchorage Republican, did not rule out the possibility of appropriating extra money for an anti-terrorism effort. However, the governor will have to convince the GOP-led Legislature that the dollars are needed to target potential threats, he said.
"I think as the rest of the United States, we are sensible enough to perceive life has changed since Sept. 11," Porter said. "At the same time a shotgun approach to expenditures without specific targets doesn't seem to be realistic either."
The Knowles administration also announced it has posted guidelines on the Internet for handling suspicious mail and anthrax. The tips were compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and the FBI and are available by going to the state's Web site at http://www.state.ak.us and clicking on Home Land Security.
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Kathy Dye can be reached at kdye@juneauempire.com.