Bioterrorism threats: learning from inappropriate responses.

Between April 1997 and June 1999, some 200 mailed or telephoned bioterrorism threats were received at a variety of locations. Usually claiming that anthrax had been released, the threats all proved to be hoaxes. In many instances, local emergency responders treated the more than 13,000 potential victims inappropriately, in particular requiring victims to strip and undergo decontamination with bleach solutions. Narratives of several incidents indicated that many victims were distressed and embarrassed by their treatment. Their experiences underscore the need for improved local response actions and the formulation of a uniform response protocol for public health agencies.