Did You Know That?

Even four years after the anthrax attacks, the public doesn’t have a good sense of the types, symptoms, treatment, and lethality of biological agents. The National Academies and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have released a fact sheet that includes a grid depicting the characteristics of various agents. For example, tularemia has a typical incubation period of three to six days; is characterized by fever, cough, pneumonia, and headache; is not contagious; is moderately lethal if not treated; lasts for months in moist soil; lacks an up-to-date vaccine; and can be treated by antibiotics. @ The fact sheet is on SM Online.