The head of the German body responsible for assessing and combatting the danger of infectious diseases said toay that there was a lack of vaccines against anthrax and other threatening maladies.
Mr Reinhardt Kurth, president of the Robert Koch Institute, said a reassessment was needed following the September 11th attacks on the United States.
"Regarding vaccination, the situation does not look good. There is very little vaccine in the world. And those who do have an effective product naturally do not part with it.
"I believe we have to consider how such a vaccine can be produced as quickly as possible," Mr Kurth told ARD television.
He also stressed the crucial importance of rapid discovery and diagnosis. Vaccine was effective if administered soon enough, he said.
The German government has decided to set up a scientific research body within the Robert Koch Institute to assess the risks of a germ warfare attack because of fears raised by three suspicious anthrax cases in the US.
Such fears have been heightened by envelopes found in Germany bearing strange or threatening words.
Health authorities in the town of Wiesbaden said today envelopes found the previous day and feared possibly to be carrying anthrax presented no danger.
Laboratory analyses carried out on the nine envelopes addressed to public service employees, firms and residents of the town proved negative, health services said.
The letters bore messages including "The Jihad (holy war) has begun" and 12 people who had been in contact with them were temporarily placed in quarantine in a Wiesbaden clinic.
Two suspicious letters found in Germany Wednesday also sparked an anthrax alert but proved to contain only a harmless white powder.
AFP