Anthrax, Another Method of Mass Destruction

By Ivan Zhu 
Pendulum Staff Writer 

        America is once again under terrorist attacks, except this time it is not with airplanes but with mail containing anthrax spores. Could this be the inception of a biological war? 

Anthrax is a disease that is usually found in farm animals. Only in rare occasions does it infect humans. The disease is usually found in agricultural countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.      When diagnosed and untreated, the toxin will deplete oxygen from the victim, causing a total respiratory and cardiovascular failure.

       Symptoms of anthrax include fevers, chills, general discomfort, headaches, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, coughing, congestion of the nose and the throat, pneumonia, chest pains, joint stiffness, and joint pains. 

Anthrax can be contracted by humans in three ways: cutaneous, inhaled, and intestinal. Most anthrax infections transpire when the bacterium enters in a cut or abrasion of a victim’s skin. An inhalation infection is extremely rare, so the FBI and the CDC are taking such a case more seriously. However, the disease can not be contracted from person to person. There has not beenv a case of inhalation anthrax in the United States for 25 years.

        Cutaneous anthrax can usually be treated with antibiotics. The victim usually makes a full recovery after treatment, whereas inhalation anthrax is more fatal. Inhalation anthrax can only be treated when the disease is detected early. Most victims who inhale anthrax die soon after. 

        The reality of a biological war is becoming more and more real. As of right now, there are ten countries that have pursued or imposed anthrax weapons. They include the United States, North Korea, Iraq, Iran, Russia, China, Libya, Syria, Israel, and Egypt. 

Anthrax is the number one choice for a biological weapon because it is cheap to synthesize and easy to manage. The stability of the disease allows the spores to be easily dispersed and suspended in the air.       Osama bin Laden is the leading suspect for the recent anthrax attacks, but authorities fail to gather sufficient evidence to confirm it.

        Galileo Science teacher, Richard McDowell, expresses sorrow on the recent anthrax attacks. He says, “I feel sad [but] I don’t feel fearful. I just feel sad that this is happening in the world [and] that people are deciding to hurt one another in different ways.”