Via Fox News/AP:

A New York City man has been hospitalized after inhaling anthrax, but officials believe it was accidental and not related to terrorism.

The man, a doctor, traveled recently to the west coast of Africa and became ill shortly after his return, said a federal law enforcement official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The official said the anthrax may have been on animal skins.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly were expected to discuss the case at a City Hall news conference. Aides to the mayor said only the one man was injured, and was recovering in a hospital in Sayre, Pa.

It was not clear how the man came into contact with the deadly substance, but mayor’s aides said it was related to his job and that federal and city officials traced the exposure to New York City after the man became ill in Pennsylvania.

Officials stressed that the case is unique and not related to any kind of intentional attack…

Chuck Simmins is tracking the story.

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Related…

Via Forbes this week:

Speed is key to saving the lives of people infected with anthrax, a new U.S. study concludes.

Researchers at Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University School of Medicine examined 82 cases of confirmed inhalation anthrax in 15 countries — the most comprehensive review of anthrax cases ever conducted.

They found that once anthrax progresses to an advanced stage — typically four days after the first symptoms — it’s almost always fatal, even if patients receive the best possible medical care.

The study appears in the Feb. 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The findings emphasize the need to detect anthrax at an early stage, to educate medical personnel about its symptoms and treatment, and to establish a distribution system that ensures that antibiotics can be delivered to patients within hours of a bioterrorist attack with anthrax, the team said…

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Sad how the still-unsolved anthrax attacks of 2001, which killed five and affected dozens of other largely forgotten victims, have been relegated to a news footnote.

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My tribute to one of the 2001 anthrax victims, D.C. post office worker “Little Joe” Curseen.

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