Anthrax

(CIDRAP News) – Giving people an anthrax shot and antibiotic treatment in the wake of an attack is probably the most cost-effective response to the threat of an anthrax assault on an American city, according to a new study.

(CIDRAP News) – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) says federal agencies may not be able to reliably rule out the presence of anthrax contamination in a building because their sampling and detection methods have not been adequately tested.

(CIDRAP News) – A federal judge who stopped the US military's compulsory anthrax vaccination program last October has ruled that the Pentagon can resume giving anthrax shots, but only on a voluntary basis.

(CIDRAP News) – The causes of this week's anthrax alarms in the Washington, DC, area remained a mystery today as criticisms about communication and coordination by the Department of Defense (DoD) flew.

(CIDRAP News) – The anthrax alert that shut down several government buildings in the Washington, DC, area this week and put hundreds of workers on preventive antibiotic treatment apparently was a false alarm.

Testing of more than 70 samples from a mail facility near the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and a mailroom at an office complex in nearby Falls Church, Va., showed no trace of anthrax, the Washington Post reported today.

(CIDRAP News) – Signs of anthrax detected by sensors at two military mail facilities in the Washington, DC, area yesterday prompted authorities to shut down several buildings and recommend antibiotics for hundreds of workers.

(CIDRAP News) – The Bush administration has proposed cutting funds that support state and local preparedness for bioterrorism and other health emergencies in fiscal year 2006, drawing protests from public health advocacy groups.

However, the proposal for the fiscal year that begins next October would increase funding for the nation's emergency stockpile of drugs and medical supplies by more than 50%. The budget was released Feb 7.

(CIDRAP News) – The US military gave anthrax shots to more than 900 soldiers after a federal judge ordered a halt to the mandatory vaccination program last October, according to news reports this week.

(CIDRAP News) – Asserting that US troops face an increased risk of anthrax attacks, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency order to help the Pentagon reverse a court ruling that stopped its anthrax vaccination program last fall.

(CIDRAP News) – As a result of a federal court ruling that stopped the US military's anthrax vaccination program last October, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is asking for public comments on its finding that the anthrax vaccine is safe and effective.