Bioterrorism has been defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as ‘‘the intentional release of bacteria, viruses or toxins for the purpose of harming or killing civilians’’ [1]. The intentional use of microbiologic agents dates back to the days before specific etiologies of infectious diseases were known. The epidemics and pandemics of natural infectious diseases caused by communicable agents have changed the course of human history frequently by claiming more lives and creating more social devastation than wars. With continued emergence and spread of previously unrecognized pathogens and reemergence of others in forms resistant to current antimicrobial agents, natural infectious diseases will remain a tool for mass casualties in the foreseeable future. Accepting ‘‘Mother Nature’’ as the most menacing ‘‘bioterrorist,’’ the concept of terror associated with biologic agents should encompass bioterrorism, biowarfare, and current and future global infectious diseases with the potential for mass casualties (eg, pandemic influenza) [2]. Epidemiologic principles, diagnostic criteria, and management strategies are common to infectious diseases regardless of the source. Many emerging pathogens are zoonotic in origin. Coordinated and cohesive efforts by scientists, health care providers, veterinarians, and epidemiologists are needed to control the global impact of infectious diseases. In addition, the law has been considered an important tool of public health, an important example being disease-reporting laws. In the context of bioterrorism, infectious diseases are not only a public health issue, but also an issue of national and international security. The authors of the recently drafted Model State