Doctors across Sussex are on anthrax alert as fears grow Britain could be next in line for a terrorist attack.

GPs have received letters from the Department of Health advising them how to identify and treat victims in the event of an attack.

But health workers stressed there was no need to panic and procedures were in place to deal with any potential outbreak.

Worries over a germ-warfare attack have increased in the United States after more cases of anthrax were confirmed during the weekend.

Several GPs in the Brighton area have been approached by patients with flu-like symptoms who are fearful they may have been infected.

Sussex-based GP Dr David Delvin said a number of patients had come to him in the last few days.

He said: "I've had one or two people with the idea that if you have a cold or flu-like symptoms, you might have anthrax.

"But the real symptom is an itchy red lump on the skin.

"We all received a memo from the Department of Health on October 11 but it was a very general letter, with the message there was no need for panic.

"It stressed there was no identified risk of anthrax in the UK, there was no need for vaccinations and no reason why UK residents should not travel to Florida."

Dr Delvin said it was important people were better informed about the risk of anthrax.

"In humans, the most common symptom is an itchy, painless red lump on the skin, like an insect bite.

"This rapidly turns into a blister, which breaks and then turns black. There may be no other symptoms at the start, though some people do have a temperature and feel unwell.

"Rarely, anthrax can affect the lungs. Symptoms include coughing, followed by blueness, breathlessness and coughing up blood.

"Fortunately, it's quite difficult to catch. But if you do get it, prompt treatment with penicillin or other antibiotics can usually save you."

Hospitals in Sussex have not been placed on red alert but are in a state of readiness in case the region became the target for a chemical or biological attack.

A spokeswoman for Brighton Health Care NHS Trust said: "We are very mindful of the situation and have systems in place that could be triggered at short notice."

But, according to scientific officer Vivienne Nathanson at the British Medical Association, GPs are struggling to reassure the public because of the secrecy surrounding the issue.

"The most important thing the Government can do is give GPs the information that they can give to patients so the patients can be reassured that the Government has done all that is appropriate," she said.

All hospitals in East Sussex have emergency plans to ensure all staff can be called in and the county has its own specialist in infectious and contagious diseases.

Anthrax has been around for centuries but very few cases have occurred in recent decades, with no deaths since 1974.