Florida Health Secretary ‘Thrust’ Into Anthrax Investigation on Second Day of Job

"Less than 24 hours" after being named secretary of the Florida Department of Health, Dr. John Agwunobi, who had served as acting secretary for about a month, was "confronted with ... a potential outbreak of anthrax," the Miami Herald reports. On Oct. 4, hours after learning a Palm Beach, Fla., man had contracted inhaled anthrax, Agwunobi, who received his appointment from Gov. Jeb Bush (R) on Oct. 3, appeared with Florida Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan (R) at a "hastily arranged" press conference to announce the findings. Agwunobi, a pediatrician with no prior public service experience, has since "embarked on a campaign to reassure the country that there should be no panic," appearing on CNN's "Larry King Live" and several morning talk shows. Speaking about the anthrax scare, Bush said that Agwunobi is the "right person to guide our state on a wide array of public health issues, especially as we enter a new era of preparing for potential threats of bioterrorism" (Clark/Wallsten, Miami Herald, 10/10).