Federal officials urge increased vaccinations for workers

ATLANTA -- Workers at buildings contaminated with anthrax should receive a vaccine, not just antibiotics, to protect them from the deadly agent, the government announced Thursday.

Federal health officials issued new guidelines specifically for anthrax cleanup cases, saying the existing rules for work in hazardous sites don't go far enough to protect those workers.

Protective suits and antibiotics are not enough, said Dr. Elena Page of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. The suits can fail, and it may not be healthy to use antibiotics for the long periods of time workers can spend on a cleanup job.

"They're not perfect," Page said of the previous rules. "We wanted a vaccine in place to give highest level of protection to the workers."

No cleanup workers in last fall's anthrax attacks caught the disease. Five people died after handling anthrax-tainted letters sent through the mail.

The new guidelines mention a danger of side effects from prolonged antibiotics use, and the threat that overuse could lead to drug-resistant strains of anthrax.

After last fall's attacks, postal and government workers exposed to anthrax were offered vaccinations after 60 days of antibiotics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the vaccine produced by BioPort of Lansing, Mich., would be made available for workers in future anthrax cleanups.

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On the Net

CDC anthrax site: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/submenus/sub--anthrax.htm