State health officials will get more authority to deal with bio-terrorists acts, deadly outbreaks of disease and even a widespread cases of intestinal problems if a bill approved by a House committee Tuesday becomes law, advocates said.
Rep. Sheryl Allen's HB231 requires doctors and other health providers to immediately contact public health officials if they see patient symptoms of anthrax, smallpox and other deadly diseases that might be spread by terrorists.
In addition, the bill says that pharmacists should report to local health officials oddities they notice in sales of drugs and over-the-counter items.
Doug Springmeyer of the state Health Department said the changes would help give public health officials warnings of specific, deadly outbreaks or more general problems in the populace.
For example, some time ago Minnesota officials learned through a casual conversation between a pharmacist and public health official that as many as 500,000 people were exposed to a disease in the public water system.