Anthrax1 is a naturally occurring disease of plant eating animals （goats， sheep， cattle， etc.） caused by the anthrax bacillus2. It is an illness which has been recognized since antiquity3. Anthrax was common in essentially all areas where livestock are raised. Intensive livestock immunization4 programs have greatly reduced the occurrence of the disease among both animals and humans in much of the world， however， outbreaks occurred during the mid-1990's in Haiti and the former Soviet Union.

　　Anthrax bacteria5 are named for the Greek word for coal， anthrakis， because they cause coal-black lesions6 when they infect the skin. Anthrax spores7 can remain viable for several decades under suitable environmental conditions； thus， absence of cases does not equate to absence of risk. Humans can contract anthrax in three ways： through cuts or breaks in the skin resulting from contact with an infected animal， from breathing anthrax spores and from eating infected meat.

　　One day in September， 2001， a 7-month-old son of an ABC producer in Manhattan spent time at the network offices. He developed8 a rash9， and was hospitalized10 with an unknown ailment11 soon after the visit. He was later diagnosed with cutaneous12 anthrax. This was the beginning of the anthrax scare created by ter rorists throughout the USA and the rest of the world.

　　The forced closure of Capitol Hill， the building that is home to both houses of the US Congress， has confirmed perhaps the worst fears of US officials： that their country now faces a bioterrorist attack. In all， 44 cases of anthrax attacks have been detected so far， including one death. The majority of cases in the US have surfaced13 at institutions of influence or prominence. Apart from the mail sent to the senators， letters laced with the bacteria were sent to the offices of the ABC and NBC television networks and The New York Times. Meanwhile， police in Japan， Canada， Europe， Latin America， Africa and Australia have also been investigating suspicious substances either sent through the mail or left at public places——one case of anthrax contamination14 has surfaced outside the US， in Kenya.

　　In response to the new threat， US Attorney General John Ashcroft， has been more circumspect15 in his reaction， saying that the possibility of other groups using the current tense climate to initiate their own terror campaign could not be ruled out16.

　　Authorities in various countries， especially America， have done well to proceed with extreme caution， emphasizing that there should be little cause for panic， not least because most of the cases have turned out to be false alarms or hoaxes17. The fact that the disease is not contagious18 and that authorities have now begun cracking down on19 anyone trying to play a practical joke should also help contain the scare.

　　Several countries have begun handling mail more carefully and suspicious packages are being reported to law enforcement authorities. Medical authorities are also stocking up on antibiotics20 that can be used to treat anthrax. Faced with the possibility of a chemical or biological attack， governments will have to walk a very thin line between taking steps to effectively contain the threat and preventing mass panic. Care should also be taken to avoid making too many presumptions as to the motives and forces behind this new scary phenomenon.

　　炭疽熱是一種由炭疽桿菌引起的在食草動物（山羊、綿羊、牛等牲畜）中傳播的自然疾病。這種疾病自古就被人們所認識。炭疽熱在家畜飼養(yǎng)地廣泛存在。家畜免疫計劃的深入推廣，使該病在世界大多數(shù)地區(qū)人畜中的發(fā)病率大大降低。但是，20世紀90年代中期，在海地和前蘇聯(lián)地區(qū)曾爆發(fā)過炭疽熱疫情。

　　炭疽細菌的詞源是希臘單詞（anthrakis）——煤，因為它們感染皮膚后，導致皮膚損壞，變成炭黑色。在適當環(huán)境下，炭疽孢子可以存活數(shù)十年，所以，沒有病例并不等于說沒有危險。人類可以通過三種渠道感染此?。浩つw的傷口接觸了受感染的動物，吸入炭疽孢子，以及食用了受感染的肉類。

　　2001年9月的一天，ABC廣播公司在曼哈頓的一個制作人的7個月大的兒子，在其公司辦公室呆了一些時間，很快便染上了皰疹，并被認為得了一種不明疾病而住院治療。隨后他被診斷患了皮膚性炭疽熱。這便是恐怖分子制造的席卷美國和全球的炭疽熱恐慌的開始。

　　美國參眾兩院的辦公地點國會山已被強制關閉。這也許可證實美國官方的極度恐懼：他們的國家正面臨一場生物恐怖分子的攻擊。迄今為止，總共已發(fā)現(xiàn)了44 起炭疽襲擊事件，其中一人死亡。美國國內(nèi)大多數(shù)襲擊事件，都發(fā)生在有影響或者名聲顯赫的機構(gòu)。除了寄給參議員的郵件外，摻入細菌的信件還被寄往ABC、全國廣播公司電視網(wǎng)以及《紐約時報》的辦公室。同時，日本、加拿大、歐洲、拉丁美洲、非洲和澳大利亞的警方也一直在調(diào)查郵件中以及遺棄在公共場所的可疑物質(zhì)。一起炭疽污染案已經(jīng)在美國以外的肯尼亞發(fā)生。 醫(yī).學教育網(wǎng)整理

　　對于這種新的威脅，美國司法部長約翰·阿什克羅夫特反應較為謹慎，聲稱不排除其他恐怖團體借當前緊張的形勢進行恐怖活動的可能。

　　各國當局，特別是美國，已經(jīng)開始極其小心地行事，強調(diào)指出大可不必驚恐萬狀，因為多數(shù)病例實際上是誤報或者是惡作劇。同時，炭疽熱不會傳染的事實以及當局開始嚴懲惡作劇制造者的行動，也有助于緩解人們的恐慌。

　　有些國家已經(jīng)開始更加仔細地檢查郵件，可疑的包裹正在被報告給執(zhí)法當局。醫(yī)療部門也在收集用于治療炭疽熱的抗菌素。面對一場可能發(fā)動的化學或生物襲擊，各國政府不得不艱難地行進，既要采取有效措施控制威脅，又要防止民眾發(fā)生恐慌。此外，對這場新的恐慌現(xiàn)象后面的動機和勢力，也應注意不要作出過多的臆斷。

　　注釋：

　　1.anthrax n.[醫(yī)]炭疽

　　2.bacillus n.[微]桿菌，細菌

　　3.antiquity n.古代

　　4.immunization n.免疫

　　5.bacteria n.細菌

　　6.lesion n.損害，損傷

　　7.spore n.孢子

　　8.develop vt.（開始）患（病等）

　　9.rash n.疹，疹子

　　10.hospitalize vt.送…進醫(yī)院治療

　　11.ailment n.疾病，病痛

　　12.cutaneous adj.感染皮膚的

　　13.surface vi.顯露，為公眾所知

　　14.contamination n.污染

　　15.circumspect adj.慎重的

　　16.rule out把…排除在外，排除…的可能性

　　17.hoax n.騙局，惡作劇

　　18.contagious adj.（接）觸（傳）染的

　　19.crack down on（對…）采取嚴厲措施