[Iwo Jima]

If you are the victim, it is certainly a relief to find out that your exposure to anthrax did not lead to an infection. But there is really no big difference to the rest of us and not really to the victim, once he gets over the initial wave of relief.

Anthrax exposures such as we have recently seen mean that the bad guys have a usable stock of anthrax and are attempting to spread it. We all need to know where, how, and when each exposure occurred. We cannot take the position that we will only act once a significant number of people die.

If you were the victim of anthrax exposure, would you blithely go about your business and not demand knowing just where you were exposed and how? Would you just take a chance that next time the number of spores you inhaled wouldn't be enough to kill you? Would you just take a chance your exposure hadn't occurred in a way that could also expose your children to anthrax? Just how clueless and passive would you have to be not to consider "mere" esposure as an emergency?

Given the current (low) state of preparedness, the first person to be exposed to inhalation anthrax has to be looked upon as the "canary in the coal mine." Everyone has to treat the exposure as the emergency warning that it is, and act accordingly. Every person, place, or thing with which the victim has come in contact must be immediately and thoroughly investigated, inspected, examined, and treated.

It may turn out that the canary died of old age, but more likely it died of a cause which will kill more people if a "wait and see" attitude is followed.

[Endeavor]

You are right, and you are extremely articulate in making your case. Thank you.

[Jim Noble]

>> Anthrax exposures such as we have recently seen mean that the bad guys have a usable stock of anthrax and are attempting to spread it. We all need to know where, how, and when each exposure occurred

No, we don't.

If this is a failed biowar attack, all information beyond what you need for your personal safety (i.e., contagious or not, need a vaccine or not, need antibiotics or not) is providing a free and extremely valuable battle damage assessment to the enemy.

I think any CDC investigation results that could help them do it better next time should be highly classified.

Don't you?