Name two high-priority biothreat agents and one public health containment measure for each.

• A. Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) – rapid surveillance and post-exposure prophylaxis with antibiotics and vaccination; Smallpox (Variola virus) – vaccination and isolation
• B. Ebola – vaccines and isolation
• C. Plague – ventilation and quarantine
• D. Rabies – culling and isolation

Answer: (A)

Two high-priority biothreat agents are anthrax and smallpox. For anthrax, rapid surveillance is crucial because it allows early detection of cases and swift initiation of protective actions, such as post-exposure prophylaxis with antibiotics (and vaccination where indicated) to prevent illness after exposure. For smallpox, vaccination helps protect people and isolation of cases prevents further transmission, making it a core containment approach.

The other options don’t fit because they either list only one agent instead of two, or pair an inappropriate public health measure with the agent. Ebola is listed with one agent and one containment idea rather than two agents with one measure each; plague is linked to ventilation, which isn’t a standard containment method for public health response, and rabies is paired with culling, whereas effective rabies control relies on animal vaccination and human post-exposure prophylaxis rather than culling.