|
General
Overview: The
most widely recognized
biological terrorism agent,
anthrax manifests itself in
three different
forms: cutaneous,
inhalational and
gastrointestinal. By
far, the inhal-ational form
is the most severe type of
anthrax, leading to death in
half the cases from
2001. Although not
transmissible through
human-to-human contact,
anthrax can be contracted
from animals (i.e. - by
handling infected wool or
eating infected meat).
The
Centers for Disease Control
categorize anthrax as a
"Category A" agent, the
deadliest of the three
categories the CDC uses to
classify potential
bioterrorism characteristics
in a biological agent.
Agents designated "Category
A" are deemed the greatest
threats to public health,
require public awareness and
demand the most planning to
deal with a potential
attack.
|
