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British Minister Says Britain Prepared for Bioterror Threat
British Health Secretary Alan Milburn said on Sunday that the government has "planned for all eventualities" after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
One person in the United States has died and several others have been infected with anthrax, which has been posted to several media organizations as well as the Senate in Washington.
In Britain, there have been dozens of incidents involving suspect packages containing white powder but none has actually been confirmed as anthrax.
Milburn said emergency services and "frontline" doctors had been issued with new bioterror guidelines.
It would be foolish to be anything other than vigilant after the appalling events of September 11. Milburn repeated that there was no "specific or credible threat" against the UK.
The government has also announced plans to introduce retrospective legislation against bioterror hoaxers.
The new anti-hoaxer laws, which are unlikely to be approved by Parliament until next month, would impose maximum jail sentences of up to seven years for hoaxers.
The legislation would be backdated to apply from 0001 BST (0101 GMT) on October 21.
The Independent on Sunday said the bioterror guidelines were contained in a 16-page document called Response to the Deliberate Release of Chemicals and Biological Agents which had been sent to councils and fire brigades.
Milburn said: "There is an obligation on government to prepare for any eventuality however remote the risk might be."
He said the government had reviewed all of its emergency plans with Chief Medical Officer Professor Liam Donaldson.
With increasing speculation that the terrorists will turn to smallpox next, Milburn refused to go into detail but said there were stocks of the vaccine in place.
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