Associated Press Baltimore-Doctors need training on the symptoms of anthrax so they don't think an infected person just had a bad flu, according to scientists studying the possibility of a terrorist anthrax attack. In a report being published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, the Working Group on Civilian Biodefense says an anthrax attack could happen, and larger amounts of the vaccine need to be at the ready.
Anthrax is colorles, odorless, inexpensive to make and easy to transport.
The group cited a 1993 government report that said it would take only about 20 pounds of anthrax to kill 3 million people, the death toll equal or more than what could result from a hydrogen bomb. In an attack, nearly half of those infected would die within 24 to 48 hours, probably well before doctors knew what was going on, the report says. Because anthrax infections can be controlled with antibiotics if administered early, doctors and radiologists need to know what to look for, the report says. Shortness of breath, an early sign of infection, could be mistaken for pneumonia. Other early symptoms include fever, cough, headache, vomiting, and chills, which could be mistaken for flu.