Acting New Jersey Health Commissioner Compares Anthrax Scare to Early Days of AIDS Epidemic
Acting New Jersey Health Commissioner George DiFerdinando this week compared the anthrax scare to the early days of the AIDS epidemic, the Associated Press reports. "We were tying to figure out what was happening" when AIDS first appeared, he said, adding that the health department's lab, which is the only one in the state certified by the CDC to test for anthrax, is doing the same thing now. And like the early warnings health officials issued at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, "there may [be] things we can communicate to people so they can protect themselves," he added. So far, his department has issued guidelines for doctors on how to identify and treat anthrax and for people opening mail on how to handle suspicious packages (Associated Press, 10/18).
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