Anthrax Scare
Biological warfare expert Mark Wheelis was a focus of media attention this February
when a standoff between Iraq and United Nations'
weapons inspectors prompted observers to fear that Iraq
is stockpiling biological weapons, including the
spore-forming bacteria that causes anthrax, an acute infectious
disease. At the height of the crisis, in one day Wheelis received
13 messages from the news media on his answering
machine and was interviewed by two television reporters. He
also discussed the use of anthrax as a weapon on
KCRA-TV's live talk program, and with reporters from two
national publications, The Scientist and
Business Week. "Despite the fact that it took a lot of my time, I was glad to help,"
says Wheelis, a senior lecturer of microbiology.
"Biological warfare is a major issue of national and
international concern. Outside of limited circles, there's been
little attention. It's only a matter of time for a terrorist attack
to occur, or to be averted."
UC Davis Biological Sciences Newsletter - Spring 1998