In this report, Smeet Patel analyzes the Rajneeshpuram Salmonella outbreak of 1984 in Dalles, Oregon. Although investigations eventually clarified that the event was indeed a bioterrorist attack, it was initially handled as a food-borne outbreak. This mis-identification of the outbreak’s cause significantly delayed effective public health response to the disaster.
Patel comments on the inadequacies in the public health response to this disaster, placing special emphasis the lack of inter-departmental cooperation. To conclude, Patel outlines modifications that could have improved response efforts.