Experts from a newly conducted study say that for effectively treating airborne anthrax, its immediate detection and treatment with effective antibiotics is very crucial. More so, delaying this procedure beyond 3 days may result in greater severity of the condition. This revelation was made via computer simulation by Dr. Nathaniel Hupert, associate professor of public health and medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College.
Evidently, anthrax attack situations often include the emission of one kilogram of weaponized anthrax from a small airplane flying over a significant city. This invisible powder, after been inhaled by numerous people, could result in making them fall sick. Such people may allegedly start falling sick one day post its inhalation or within a week or maybe even more days after its exposure. It seems that an attack on a major metropolitan area with airborne anthrax may affect more than a million people with this condition; thereby requiring a treatment with potent antibiotics.
Lead author, Dr. Hupert says, “No matter how well-organized and prolonged a treatment program is, it must be quickly implemented. In fact, our analysis shows that time-to-treatment is roughly twice as important as the duration of the distribution program.â€
He adds that, “Crucial to rapidly implementing a treatment program is early detection, including thorough use of advanced biosurveillance technologies and live, person-to-person communication. But most important of all are multilateral diplomatic efforts to prevent bioterrorist attacks from ever happening.”
More so, it was hypothesized that the commencement of a campaign 2 days after such an exposure could possibly prevent around 87% of the exposed people from this illness. Every extra day needed to complete this campaign could possibly result in approximately 2.9% more hospitalizations amongst these people. It was even pointed out that, after 2 days every additional day of delay to the commencement of the program may elevate the ratio of such hospitalizations by as much as 6.5%.
These experts have noted that treating such people at the right time with the right medications may be beneficial to them. Treating them with a proper antibiotic treatment program may prevent their chances of developing inhalation anthrax infection.
The study findings have been presented in the journal Medical Decision Making.