Inhalation Anthrax
Alternate Names : Anthrax - Inhalation
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Inhalation Anthrax Treatment
The mainstay of anthrax treatment is early antibiotic therapy. Several antibiotics are effective, including penicillin, doxycycline, and ciprofloxacin (Cipro). If an outbreak of anthrax is suspected, the antibiotic of choice is ciprofloxacin, until it is known whether the anthrax strain is resistant to any of the other usual antibiotics. Because spores may take up to 60 days to germinate, the length of treatment is usually 60 days.
For inhalation anthrax, people with known or suspected exposure would be given antibiotic pills. If a person develops symptoms of the disease or has a positive test for the disease itself (not just a test for "exposure"), antibiotics would be given intravenously for 14 days, then orally for the rest of the 60 days. For patients with the disease itself, a second antibiotic such as clindamycin would often be used early in the course of treatment.
In the event of a bio-terrorist attack, the National Pharmaceutical stockpile is available to supplement and help provide antibiotics, should a shortage occur.
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