Dr Kerryn Phelps, Health Editor, Channel 9 'Today'

PHELPS: Good morning, Tracy.

GRIMSHAW: What do you want the Defence Department to tell you?

PHELPS: We have a number of questions to ask and we'll also be briefed by the Department of Health and Aged Care. And those questions are what is the actual level of risk that is estimated in Australia. How might doctors who are in their surgeries, in their hospitals working be able to recognise a case if it came up, because of course anthrax amongst humans in Australia is extremely rare. The last reported case would have been several years ago.

We want to know what the testing facilities are like. We want to know what the stock piling of antibiotics is like and what sort of an attack outbreak we would be able to cope with and what the role of the medical profession ought to be.

GRIMSHAW: Do you want to know also whether this attack is likely to come from within or whether it's likely to come from outside Australia via mail?

PHELPS: We certainly would like to know as much information as possible so that that medical practitioners around the country and the public can be alerted and be aware of what their risk is likely to be.

GRIMSHAW: Are Australian doctors preparing themselves, for example, are doctors now reading up on what the symptoms of anthrax are?

PHELPS: It's certainly the topic of conversation within the medical profession and of course doctors being the curious people that we are, a lot of doctors are reading up on the internet, going back to their medical textbooks and having a look at anthrax and how to recognise it.

GRIMSHAW: At this stage the scares are being triggered by people finding, seeing suspicious white looking powder, but what if you don't know that you've been exposed to anthrax? I guess it's going to be a question of someone presenting to a GP with symptoms. What are the symptoms and are they readily identifiable?

PHELPS: Well, they certainly are if you're aware and I think it's a bit like there's a meningicoccal outbreak for example and doctors and the public need to be aware that these are the particular symptoms to look out for, even though it's quite an uncommon disease. But in the case of anthrax the sorts of symptoms that you would be looking at would be, for example if it's the skin form, an itchy lump that comes up, forms a blister and then within a couple of days turns into a black scared lesion about three centimetres in diameter.

The person can then become quite sick with fevers and so forth. Once the person has inhalation or the inhaled form then that is a much more serious disease and that comes on within a couple of days and the person becomes very rapidly extremely ill, even despite treatment, and they would become breathless and have fevers and shock.

GRIMSHAW: What about vaccinations, there are vaccines available aren't there? And are they readily available in this country?

PHELPS: Vaccines are available. In fact the United States has made it mandatory for their defence personnel to be vaccinated. It is not available for public use in Australia at this point.

GRIMSHAW: Should it be?

PHELPS: At this point probably it would be premature, in fact indeed it would be premature, but I think that's one of the questions that I will be putting to the Department of Health and Aged Care, what can we do, how can we be prepared in the event of an outbreak and who should receive the vaccines if that event unfolds.

At the moment we're being told that the event is highly unlikely, but I think it's very important to be vigilant and to be prepared.

GRIMSHAW: Okay, thanks Kerryn.

PHELPS: Thank you.

Ends