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Anthrax: No Terrorism in Florida Anthrax Case, Thompson Says A 63-year-old man from Lantana, Florida, is critically ill with inhalation anthrax, the deadliest form of the disease that has been developed for use as a biological weapon. U.S. officials said the man most likely contracted the disease through natural means, not from a terrorist attack (Rick Weiss, Washington Post, Oct. 5). Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said yesterday the case is isolated and there is currently no evidence that a terrorist attack caused the man’s illness. He reminded the public that anthrax does not spread from person to person. He said the public should continue about daily life in a normal way and go to a doctor if they have a severe respiratory problem. He said his department has enough antibiotics, which he said could treat anthrax, for 2 million people for 60 days (see GSN, this issue). Thompson said the speed with which health institutions alerted the authorities to the case showed that “our health reporting system worked in a very timely fashion” (see GSN, Oct. 1). After the patient was diagnosed with anthrax, health officials notified the state health department, which notified the Centers for Disease Control and the FBI. Both agencies are investigating the man’s whereabouts over the last few weeks to determine the source of the disease. Thompson said anthrax cases occur sporadically in the United States, but added, “they’re very rare.” He said the most recent reported cases were one in Texas within the last year and another in Florida in 1974 (White House briefing, Oct. 4). Only 18 cases of inhaled anthrax have occurred in the United States in the last century. A 1999 Journal of the American Medical Association issue said that the disease is so rare, “that even a single case [is] cause for alarm today” (Washington Post, Oct. 5). The Washington Times reported that Florida doctors said the man’s case is likely to be fatal (August Gribbin, Washington Times, Oct. 5).
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