HEPA/Vaccine Plan for Indoor Anthrax Remediation

摘要

We developed a mathematical model to compare 2indoor remediation strategies in the aftermath of an outdoorrelease of 1.5 kg of anthrax spores in lower Manhattan. The2 strategies are the fumigation approach used after the2001 postal anthrax attack and a HEPA/vaccine plan,which relies on HEPA vacuuming, HEPA air cleaners, andvaccination of reoccupants. The HEPA/vaccine approachleads to few anthrax cases among reoccupants if applied toall but the most heavily contaminated buildings, and recov-ery is much faster than under the decades-long fumigationplan. Only modest environmental sampling is needed. Asurge capacity of 10,000 to 20,000 Hazmat workers isrequired to perform remediation within 6 to 12 months andto avoid permanent mass relocation. Because of the possi-bility of a campaign of terrorist attacks, serious considera-tion should be given to allowing or encouraging voluntaryself-service cleaning of lightly contaminated rooms by age-appropriate, vaccinated, partially protected (through masksor hoods) reoccupants or owners