Anthrax and biochemical war.

http://elsegundousd.com/eshs/bayeagle/news/november/anthrax.htm Anthrax and biochemical warfare is now a concern of theAmerican people. As the anthrax contamination spreads,health officials have changed the way they are handling theinvestigation and treatment of the bacteria threat.
Thirteen people have been infected with the anthrax bacteria across the United States, and thirty two people havebeen exposed to it. Most of the cases have been of inhalationanthrax, which is the deadliest kind.
Although many people think that the anthrax scare has frightened people, polls reveal the opposite. A CNN pollreleased indicated that most Americans are not concernedabout a biological threat. Two-thirds of the polled said theyare not worried about exposure to anthrax bacteria, and 77percent said they are confident that the United Statesgovernment could effectively handle the anthrax threat.
Ten students from El Segundo High School were surveyed on their opinion about anthrax, and 30 percent saidthey are worried about contracting anthrax, and seventypercent said they are not worried about it at all. Seventypercent of the students said that they are confident that theUnited States government could effectively handle the anthraxthreat, and thirty percent said they are unconfident of thegovernment’s handle on the situation. Junior Krystle Samaisaid, “I think the government likes to believe they have ahandle on the situation but what are they going to do if themasses contract anthrax?” Following the third case of a New Jersey postal worker contracting inhalation anthrax, many postal workershave begun to wonder why more has not been done in orderto protect them from the potentially deadly bacteria.
Essentially, anthrax has been spreading through the mail.
New York postal authorities plan to offer the antibiotic Cipro to postal workers in at least six Manhattan facilities thatmight have handled anthrax-laced mail. This plan resulted fromthe meeting of postal authorities, angry postal union leaders,and a representative of the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention.
The chief postal inspector said he has assigned 3,300 postal inspectors and postal police officers to the anthrax mailinvestigation. The chief postal inspector, Kenneth Weaversaid, public confidence in the mail system is essential to thesurvival of the Postal Service and the economy. He noted thatbetween eight and nine percent of the gross national productdepends on the mail system.
because they think that they might have contracted anthrax, as Cipro as the antibiotic of choice. More than 10,000 peoplein the Washington area are currently on Cipro.
Washington health officials have switched to doxycycline asthe antibiotic of choice for fighting anthrax infection. TheCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said theywant to achieve a better balance in the types of antibioticsused. They said that using a single antibiotic for extendedperiods of time can increase the likelihood of antibioticresistance.

Source: http://www.elsegundohigh.org/pdf/bay_eagle/2001-2002/november/Anthrax%20and%20Biochemical%20Warfare.pdf