We can't claim that we weren't warned. For years, experts have argued that most nations are ill-prepared to deal with a bioterrorist attack. Events of the past few months have confirmed their assessment in chilling fashion.

Thankfully, whoever was responsible for sending anthrax in the mail to US politicians and media organizations either lacked the means, or the will, to release an aerosol of spores over a major city or in a subway system. But despite the low-tech means of delivery, these were the first bioterrorist attacks to claim human lives.

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