Anthrax Scare

Call me skittish, but seeing the words "anthrax" and "New York" in the same headline again put me on edge -- even before the emergency press conference featuring Mayor Bloomberg, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, the FBI, the DEA, and the Office of Emergency Management. I was thisclose to breaking my old hazmat suit out of the closet.

But Bloomberg and his team of experts have reassured New Yorkers that there is nothing to worry about. A 44-year-old Manhattan resident was apparently accidentally exposed to anthrax while working with untreated animal skins from Africa in his DUMBO workspace. Anthrax naturallly occurs in animals such as goats and cows. Investigators say there is no evidence of terrorism.

Officials are providing antibiotics to three other people that may have been exposed, but say there is no danger of wider exposure. Read New York Times coverage of NYC Anthrax Case.