Guys, I think we're at an interesting point here.  Let me say that up to now, I've been very unimpressed by the anthrax scare.  Seems to be more of a public relations triumph than an effective bioweapon.  However,  new cases seem to be popping up here and there, and there are more and more facilities being identified as positive for anthrax, often in only in trace amounts.  It hasn't disappeared yet, largely I guess due to the persistent nature of spore organisms.

Epidemics run in a similar fashion early on.  A few cases here and there in a persistent fashion, and then one of two things happens.  Either the infective agent dies out for various reasons (lack of transmissivity, poor quality, etc.), or the epidemic catches fire and takes of in geometric progression.  We may be at that crossroads now.  Only time will tell.

When the "epidemic" becomes greater than 100 people dying EVERY DAY, I will become concerned.  Right now, the probability of death by anthrax is astronomically small.  To call it a "health risk" or an "epidemic" is foolish.

One death is a tragedy, but among 300 million people, its nothing.  More people die every day falling off bicycles.

Right now anthrax is media fodder, and people will grow tired of it, and indifferent.  Just look at the outrage after 9/11, its tapered off to nothing.  People can't stay wound-up about one subject indefinitely.  Eventually, they get a mental callous, and don't think/worry about it.

I agree 100%, especially about the media thing.  Goes without saying I hope the thing sputters and dies, and I'm definitely not altering my lifestyle because of anthrax yet, and I don't know many rational people who are (we won't go into how many [i]irrational[/i] people I know).  Good luck to us all.

I heard an interesting observation on "The Osgood Files" the other morning. One benefit of the Anthrax scare is that many people will get a flu shot this year, and that alone may save thousands of lives.