Fear of Bioterrorism and Implications for Public Health Preparedness

Abstract

After the human anthrax cases and exposures in 2001, the Illinois Department of Public Health received an increasing number of environmental and human samples (1,496 environmental submissions, all negative for Bacillus anthracis). These data demonstrate increased volume of submissions to a public health laboratory resulting from fear of bioterrorism.

Keywords

• anthrax
• Bacillus anthracis
• bioterrorism
• dispatch
• United States