BioWatch system faces technical, operational challenges

The NAS-convened committee found that the system was not well integrated into the U.S. public health system. BioWatch relies on local health departments and healthcare systems to analyze and respond to any detected threats. This amounts to an “awkward and organizationally challenging” set-up for responding to any identified agent, they write in the report. “The BioWatch system needs to establish a more effective relationship with public health systems where it is deployed.”