Something I did not know - Wiki tells that Anthrax is believed to have been the sixth plague described in the Bible. Anthrax is the oldest known grazing animal disease and can also infect humans, often fatally. The disease is passed by endospores - basically 'hardened' bacteria 'seeds' that wait until environmental conditions are favorable for bacteria to grow. Anthrax can reside dormant within endospores for decades and then spring out to infect a completely new generation.
Anthrax 'Heroin' Cases Spreading tells that contaminated heroin is responsible for 11 cases of anthrax, 5 of them fatal, in Scotland. Anthrax can infect humans by inhalation, digestion, or exposure through a break in the skin, of the endospores. Animal vaccines have been effective for several decades, explaining why we have very few cases of anthrax today whereas historically it was literally a plague upon humanity and our livestock.
Delaware Lab Receives $5.3M for Anthrax-Plague Vaccine explains the DoD's Threat Reduction Agency has tasked the laboratory to develop a human vaccine. BioThrax is a current vaccine, but it must be administered in a six-dose series and requires booster injections. The DoD is attempting to develop a vaccine that can be rapidly produced and distributed in the event of a biological attack. The new contract seeks to utilize tobacco plants to grow the vaccine. Russia has an independent vaccine, but the side effects are so dangerous that only healthy adults can be innoculated.
Mailman to Deliver Aid in Event of Anthrax Attack tells that the President just signed an executive order making the Postal Service responsible for the delivery of drugs and other medical care in the event of a biological attack.
Humm... interesting,
This information that you have shared about anthrax is great as i havnt yet known much about it,
Thanks for bringing this up
Posted by: custom software | January 25, 2010 at 07:40 AM