Vaccine encouraged for workers at buildings with anthrax
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Posted 5:28PM on Thursday, September 5, 2002
ATLANTA - The federal government is encouraging workers at buildings contaminated with anthrax to receive a vaccine, not just antibiotics. <br>
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Federal health officials released new guidelines Thursday specifically for anthrax cleanup cases. They say the existing rules for work in hazardous sites don't go far enough to protect those workers. <br>
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Doctor Elena Page of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health says protective suits and antibiotics are not enough. <br>
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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. <br>
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No cleanup workers in last fall's anthrax attacks caught the disease. Five people died after handling anthrax-tainted letters sent through the mail. <br>
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a vaccine called BioThrax will be made available for workers in future anthrax cleanups.