No anthrax attacks have been confirmed outside the United States, but dozens of scares and multiple hoaxes have spread anthrax anxiety around the globe at the speed of mail.
The South Korean government is taking the threats seriously. Postal workers handling international letters began wearing gas masks and gloves. Authorities are also checking incoming mail with metal detectors and X-ray machines.
The Information and Communication Ministry has also allocated the equivalent of 53 million dollars to fund an anti-bioterrorism task force. And airlines are checking luggage and handbags ever more closely.
While taking precautions, the government is facing the contradictory task of trying to raise awareness without prompting a flood of calls from a panicked public.
Health officials worldwide are stocking up on antibiotics that effectively treat anthrax.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization in Geneva warned against the overuse of antibiotics by people fearful of contracting anthrax, saying it could produce untreatable forms of the disease.