A nurse in the emergency department (ED) of a community hospital notes

A nurse in the emergency department (ED) of a community hospital notes that an unusually high number of clients have presented in the ED with flulike symptoms,

abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, hematemesis and itching of the hands, fore-arms, and head. The nurse is concerned with bioterrorism, reports this to the supervisor, and sus-pects an outbreak of:
1. Botulism
2. Anthrax
3. Plague
4. Smallpox

ANSWER

ANS: 2
The symptoms of the clients all point to an endemic outbreak of anthrax.