Investigators Look for Links to Past Ricin Letters
Investigators intensified efforts Wednesday to determine whether the letter that brought the deadly poison ricin to a Senate mail room is linked to similarly contaminated letters apparently found last fall at mail facilities serving the White House and a South Carolina airport. (2/4/04)
Update: Investigation Seeks Source of Ricin Sent to Senate

Ricin Found in Senate Majority Leader's Office
Three Senate buildings were closed Tuesday after tests confirmed that powder found in the mail room of the office of the Senate majority leader was the deadly poison, ricin. Julie Fischer of the Henry L. Stimson Center explains its potential threat. (2/3/04)
Update: Tests Confirm Ricin Found in Senate Office

Court Rules Military Can Resume Mandating Anthrax Vaccine
U.S. District Judge Emmit Sullivan Wednesday reversed an earlier ruling and will now allow the Pentagon to continue mandatory anthrax vaccinations until a trial is held on a lawsuit challenging the policy. (1/7/04)

Following the judge's initial ruing, experts debated the merits of the Pentagon's anthrax vaccination program. (12/23/03)

Smallpox Vaccination Plan Off to a Slow Start
Spencer Michels examines the factors that have made many hospitals and health care workers reluctant to participate in the federal government's smallpox vaccination program. (3/14/03)

Pres. Bush Announces Smallpox Vaccination Plan
President Bush announced that the U.S. plans to vaccinate selected military, embassy and health care workers against smallpox. Terence Smith discusses the president's announcement with Dr. Julie Gerberding, the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergic and Infectious Diseases. (12/13/02)

Health Care Workers Face Possible Voluntary Smallpox Vaccinations
Susan Dentzer explores the risks and benefits of preparing for a possible smallpox attack by inoculating health care workers using a vaccine that carries its own risks. (11/14/02)
Forum: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention respond to viewers' questions about the vaccine.
Extended Interview: Dr. Julie Gerberding, the Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses how a pre-attack vaccination plan might work.
Extended Interview: Infectious disease specialist Dr. Paul Offit explains why he was the only person on a committee advising the CDC to vote against pre-attack vaccinations.

One Region Prepares for a Bioterror Attack
Susan Dentzer reports on a simulated pneumonic plague outbreak and how that exercise helped health care providers and local government officials in one county prepare for a bioterrorist threat. (11/11/02)
Extended Interview: Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary Dr. Georges Benjamin discusses what he has learned from the 2001 anthrax attacks.
Extended Interview: Dr. Michael Richardson of the Washington, D.C. Department of Health discusses efforts to thwart a future attack.

Special Report: The 2001 Anthrax Attacks
The U.S. got its first good look at bioterrorism in 2001 when anthrax attacks left five people dead and 17 seriously ill.