A report posted on the website of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, located at the University of Minnesota, notes that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group that advises the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “is close to finalizing its work on guidance for prioritizing anthrax vaccine in the event of a wide-areas aerosol attack.” Raymond Strikas, MD, MPH, with the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said: “The next outreach step is a stakeholder meeting on August 20, 2012 after which the group will submit a final version to federal officials.”

Strikas also noted that, “the draft plan prioritizes those who would receive post exposure anthrax vaccine prophylaxis according to three tiers: (1) Those exposed to primary aerosols during initial release, along with responders at risk; (2) Those at risk of secondary exposure, and (3) Those who must travel through or live in areas that border affected areas.

He also said that “the steering committee is looking for feedback on the criteria.”