Anthrax

One such Witch hunt that has come out of this devastating event was the Anthrax Letter Scare. The Anthrax letter scare took place on the eleventh of October in 2001, where letters were sent to Media and congressional offices were many people got sick, five died, and millions scared. Dr Steven Hatfill was the main target of this incidence, was wrongfully accused and labeled as a person of interest, improperly investigated and questioned, the prime target of a national hoax fueled by the media, and just one of the various people violated and destroyed by the United States Anthrax Letter Scare.
             Anthrax (Bacillus Anthracis) is a disease that is commonly found in livestock, and rarely in humans. The disease is extremely fatal. The bacterium produces a toxin that kills cells by causing fluid to build up in the body's tissue making them ultimately explode. Anthrax spores, the type found in the Anthrax letters, can survive decades in soil. Animals can contract the disease from grazing on the infected plants. Humans contract the disease from the infected anime through handling of the animal or consuming its meat. The disease itself is rare outside the occupation of a farmer or someone who deals with livestock on a daily basis; therefore it is referred as an occupational disease. The United States have a strict policy of anthrax vaccination, making the disease almost unheard in the country.
             The disease can bee contracted in one of three ways, the Cutaneous, or skin form, where it enter the body from a scrape or cut, the Gastrointestinal form, where the disease is contracted from within the stomach or intestines, or the Pulmonary form, the inhalation version of the disease. The first two are easily identifiable, therefore making treatment faster and the survival rate for the victim higher. Pulmonary Anthrax's symptoms can be compared to flu-like symptoms, making it hard to identify. In the latter stages of pulmonary anthrax, lesions are formed in the lungs and brain, ultimately killing its victim.