If there ever is another anthrax attack in the U.S., the mailman may deliver antibiotics.
U.S. government health officials are beginning a project in Minneapolis-St. Paul to let letter carriers stockpile a personal supply of emergency antibiotics so they are protected and ready to go deliver aid to the rest of the city at a moment's notice.
"These letter carriers are being asked to put their lives on the line to help their communities," Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said Wednesday. By ensuring they are protected first, "the carriers can be ready on short notice to take to the streets."
The project aims to overcome a big hurdle of emergency planning. The government has lots of drugs stockpiled in case of future bioterrorism, but little way to get them quickly to panicked citizens. Leavitt noted that if someone possibly has inhaled anthrax, the chances of survival are best if antibiotic treatment begins within 48 hours.
The U.S. Postal Service came forward, he said, and said "they have people who every day walk to every house." Those carriers could provide "a front-end quick strike," added the Health and Human Services Department's emergency planning chief, William Raub.
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