The UAE postal service says it has put internationally-recognized procedures in place as a precaution against anthrax entering the country through the mail, reported Gulf News.
Emirates Post says there is no credible threat of the UAE being a target for an anthrax attack but it is taking all possible precautions in coordination with the Ministry of Health, the General Secretariat of UAE Municipalities and various departments responsible for national security.
"All mail coming in from the US is being placed in a separate area and handled by staff wearing suitable safety gear, such as medical gloves,” an official told the paper.
Pharmacies in the UAE were quoted as saying they have, however, received a number of telephone calls from concerned members of the public anxious to know if they have stocks of Ciprofloxacin, the antibiotic currently being used to treat anthrax cases in the US.
No Arab country has so far reported an anthrax case, and Egyptian officials denied related reports in their country.
The problem with the anthrax scare is that a “bad joke” by sending flour or starch in a letter might ring the alarm bill nationwide in any country – Albawaba.com
