HOSPITALS ON WATCH FOR BIOTERROR THREAT.(MAIN)

Byline: SYLVIA WOOD Staff writer

State health officials are urging all hospitals and county health departments outside New York City to monitor any unusual illnesses or outbreaks for possible signs of bioterrorism.

The request follows one made by the Centers for Disease Control just after the Sept. 11 attacks in which hospitals across the country were asked to step up surveillance. The state memo gives 200 hospitals specific instructions on how to do that, with daily monitoring of emergency room activity in cooperation with local health departments.

The measure is intended to detect ``the intentional release of a biological agent,'' Dr. Robert G. …