Next bioterror attack could be worse than anthrax, experts warn

ATLANTA - Health officials warned Monday that the nation must prepare for a bioterrorist attack far worse than the anthrax letters last fall, raising fears of genetically engineered germs and infections passed through the food supply. <br> <br> Terrorists could also make a biological attack exponentially worse by taking down critical communications systems at the same time, experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. <br> <br> Dr. James Hughes, chief of infectious diseases at the CDC, issued the alert at a CDC conference on emerging infectious diseases, which has brought hundreds of health officials to Atlanta this week. <br> <br> The conference agenda, usually filled with sessions on obscure diseases and small outbreaks, is dominated with information on anthrax and smallpox -- considered among the most dangerous bioterror agents. <br> <br> The anthrax-by-mail attacks killed five people last fall and sickened 13 more.