This story is not the usual mystery-type episode of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour, but rather a lesson in how a pandemic can be launched or avoided. The writers of this story had to be aware of the social implications of disease spread, to the extent that the storyline follows exactly the kind of challenges we face with the spread of COVID-19. Here are some of the parallels:
a) The disease came from a foreign source
b) Much of the story was around the need to track who the anthrax victims encountered prior to their death -- in other words, contact tracing (although the term was not used in the script).
c) The one person who survived, thanks to a penicillin shot after a misdiagnosis of her condition, does not want to speak about her contacts since it would reveal her identity in a scandal.
d) The person in charge of the City Health Dept. was a doctor who turns politician -- and he admits it. His main goal is to suppress any leaks to the press about the spreading contagion out of the need to prevent panic.
d) Front line workers, especially the police who handle the anthrax-infested victims and their clothing, are considered the next to fall ill, although this is prevented with a shot of penicillin (we can only wish that anybody could prevent or be cured of COVID-19 in such a manner).
e) The health care worker who discovers the infection faces an uphill battle to protect the public through notifications to the press, police, etc., only to be silenced by his politician boss.
Do watch this fascinating episode.