ANTHRAX- What in the world...
 

The other day, someone died from Anthrax related illness, now, the colleague has been diagnosed with the same thing.

They both reside in Florida. Is this coincidental?

Have these people polluted our water, etc? :confused: We don't know what THEY have been doing.

What is really going on?

http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/10/08...ase/index.html

My husband was a reservist for 11 years during which time he was mandated to receive the Anthrax vaccination. It's funny that the military would vaccinate those in who are active servicemen and women (and reservist). But what about their families and others (including infants and toddlers)? My question is the same: What is Anthrax and where could the general population receive its vaccination? What do we do and where would we go? Do we need protective gear such as gas masks or protective over-garments? I feel that these questions are ligitimate in that we (the ENTIRE American population) are now looking at the possiblity of facing CHEMICAL/BIOLOGICAL warfare. Believe me, since September 11th, I've been asking my husband for as much information as I possibly can. I've GOT to ask him about this ANTHRAX thing since it is now becoming an issue.

From what I've heard, anthrax was found in their office building. All employees of The Sun newsmagazine were called and told not to show up for work. I'm not trying to be funny, but they wouldn't have to call me!

Korkscru, maybe the military feels as though relatives of servicemen don't need the vaccine because it isn't contagious. :confused: That is the only reason I could think of at the moment.

the deal....
 

If anyone watched ABC news the other night, they had a special Nightline edition that dealt w/ this topic. From what the panelists were saying, the anthrax vaccine has only been approved by the FDA for the military. ANd when asked if it was going to be made available for civilians, well let's just say that we (civilians) are pretty much SOL! (that's "s*** outta luck"). They said that they give the vaccine to all military persons first, then it can be made available to others. However, after vaccinating the entire military, they said that there's hardly going to be enough if a MAJOR outbreak happens. I forget the exact number of peeps that they could accomodate for, but i remember it not being enough, to say, vaccinate everyone in the US.

The anthrax shot is also a series of 6 shots (ouch!). So it's not like you get one and you're all good. Also, from what i learned on that show, you can't have any symptoms from anthrax in order to receive the vaccine. You can't even receive the antibiotics that help it if you are showing the symptoms. So this is horrible b/c you have to catch this thing QUICK in order to get treatment. And it made me mad b/c once you get those symptoms, you are again SOL! They haven't made anything to help those who have shown symptoms. I believe they try to help you but they way they put it, it's pretty much useless.

I was reading in SELF magazine about this as well. It was an article about 3 women in the military that had some pretty horrible adverse effects to the vaccine. These cases were in '99. Hopefully, by now, they've knocked those effects out. But from the article, it was like, on one hand, you can get the vaccine and possibly get sick. Or you can go w/out and get sick. of course, getting the vaccine (if you can) is better, but it sucks that the side effects can be harsh as well.
Anyway, that's all i know about anthrax. just thought I'd share. Go to
ABC News for more info about the show they had on this. The show even had a fictional scenario about what could happen if an anthrax breakout occurred. If you don't want to be scared, don't go there! It's scary about the possibility fo this happening.

Hi, although I am not an MD, I am a veterinarian and Anthrax is a disease that we learned about in vet. school b/c it has been mainly a cattle dz in the past though it is zoonotic (can be transmitted to humans) and also can infect other animals.

I don't have any of the answers about the vaccine at this time (maybe in some of my large animal vet. school stuff but I have filed this stuff away as i treat cats, dogs mainly). I know that veterinarians that work on cattle usually do not get vaccinated except if there is an outbreak-which has not happened for many years.

Anyways, Bacillus Anthracis is a gram positive bacteria. They are aerobic (need air to live), spore forming (some are facultative anaerobic). "Anthrax organisms sporulate with greater frequency in low lying marshy areas (Florida?-isn't this where the guys were?). Apparently vegetative forms grow poorly if at all in the soil. Soma regions of the Mississippi and Missouri river valleys harbor spores and flooding disseminates them."-source from 1991 edition of Veterinary bacteriology and mycology.

more medical jargen:

pathogenesis (from same source):
"The anthrax toxin is a complex consisting of three protein components, I, II and III. Components I is the edema factor, Component II the protective antigen, and component III is the lethal factor. Components I and II cause edema with low mortality (death); however, when component III is included, there is maximum lethality. Only encapsulated, toxigenic strains are virulent."

The public health significance of the book says:
" Infections most often result from spores entering injuries to the skin. Cutaneous (skin form) anthrax (malignant pustule) accounts for more than 95% of the human disease (other 5% probably pulmonary-lungs). Some sources of spores for humans are soil, hair, hides, wool, feces (crap), milk, meat (inadequately cooked meat) and blood products. The skin lesion is usually solitary, painless, seropurulent (meaning you see some pus and serum) necrotizing (skin is becoming nasty and is dying), hemorrhagic, and ulcerous. It leaves a black eschar (black scab) which accounts for the name malignant pustule. The disease is seen most frequently in farmers, herdsman, butchers, veterinarians, and tannery and slaughterhouse workers (were these guys at a slaughterhouse-forgive me as i have not kept up with the news this weekend as I was out of town)
Treatment in humans is effective in the cutaneous infection but not usually the pulmonary form."

The organism can be transmitted by ingestion, inhalation (I think this is the most deadly way), wounds, scratches, and through the unbroken skin.

I know that this probably did not answer a lot of questions but at least you will know some info about the organism. I know everyone is scared (as am I) but please don't panic, this disease has been around for hundreds of years and I guess i heard from someone that there has not been an outbreak in humans in 25 years in the US (is this true?) but outbreaks due occur and I think the reason we are hearing so much about the recent cases is of course b/c of our current status. I definitely think the public should know as much info. as possible though. Though I am more afraid of Ebola virus.

K

WHAT IN THE WORLD?
 

Okay, an NBC worker came into contact with the virus by way of an envelope that had a white residue in it. The envelope was addressed to Tom Brokaw. This happened Sept. 25th.

Aight now? What's up?

:confused:

It's been reported that the letter to Tom Brokaw was postmarked from St. Petersburg, Florida.

And "They" Say Don't Panic
 

Unfortunately, I think the nightmare has just begun.
I am trying very hard to get the pheezy forsheezy up out of New York. It is a playground for Anti-American sentiment.:eek: :eek:

Re: And "They" Say Don't Panic
 

I agree.

I guess so. Places like Wyoming, North and South Dakota seem appealing, don't they? :confused:



It's a sad state of affairs, right about now!

There was a report this morning that there could be a case in Las Vegas. :eek:

Also Colorado...

An envelope had been sent to the NY Times, postmarked from St. Pete., Florida.

:confused:

Postal workers will be subject to testing as a result.

Run for the Border
 

Yes AKA2D'91

Anyplace but here!:(

This is really getting scary. I work for a very large utility electric and gas company. Where I work happens to be at our gas plant, and all our guards have been told that they can wear rubber gloves since they are the ones that sign for a lot of packages and everything....I'm just really shaking my head because this is really getting out of hand with all these attacks on the American public. :eek: Since I work at a place that can be blown away it really is scary, also did I mention that that we also own nuclear plants that are not that far from where I am located at the gas plant.:( ...this ish ain't right I tell ya.It just ain't right!!

I don't want to discount anything, but I believe the anthrax cases could be the work of some psycho American. They know that people are more on edge these days, and they think this is funny. :mad: It's how they get their 15 minutes of fame in their twisted little minds. I hope they track down the person or people responsible soon, and when they do expose them to anthrax without antibiotics. :mad:

That's what I'm thinking
 

I think we can all agree that their main objective is not to infect us one by one, but in huge numbers. Remember, there was some information right after the attacks that some of the hijackers were looking to rent crop dusters. Obviously, they're looking to take out huge numbers of Americans at one time. We would all have to be infected simultaneously since it can't be passed from person to person. :eek: The letter sending scheme ain't gonna cut it.

I think the letters coming out of florida are being sent by an individual or individuals trying to create mass hysteria. The US has its share of psychopaths. :rolleyes: :( I just hope that whoever is doing it is caught. I can deal with the real threats against the US, but the mind games from the crazy folk in the US have got to stop.

Re: Re: And "They" Say Don't Panic
 

Last week, a soror and her boyfriend visited NYC for the week to celebrate her birthday. They originally planned to go to Disney World, but decided to support NYC after hearing about the decline in tourists.

Nebraska
 

CNN's front page reports that an envelope in Nebraska sent to Microsoft has tested positive.

I don't know who's doing this, but I hope they find them, and soon. My next concern is that we're so caught up in looking for Anthrax, that there's probably 10 people someplace else that has some other weird disease, but because this is our focus, they'll be easily swept under the rug.

It's all very disturbing. It's as if all of the prank emails that we used to read are coming true, in a sense. After the initial diagnosis of the Florida man, I kept thinking that it wasn't an isolated case, however our leaders just can't jump up on television and tell us that 1 case is definately a terrorist attack (due to widespread panic) anymore than they can jump up on national television and tell us to stock up on certain items.

In one newscast, they were suggesting that if you get a letter with powder or an oily substance on it, do not smell or taste it. I'm thinking, "we actually have to tell people not to taste it"?

It's definately a wake up call that we need to be more aware as citizens.

I just read on the internet that a man was seen releasing a white, powdery substance into the air ducts of an airplane.

Also, fiver more people in Florida have the disease.

TP, I know what you mean. Why do they have to tell people not to taste it?:confused: I hope folks aren't that naive!

You know, I was listening to this show (I think it was Oprah) and they stated that we (Americans) need to come to terms with the fact that the terrorists may have had inside help. They mentioned the box cuters that they found taped under airplane seats after 9/11. Also, and forgive me if this is posted in another thread, but there is a warning out for October 31st.

Hoax!!!!
 

Tonight on the news, the FBI has confirmed that this a hoax! An e-mail began circulating telling people to stay out of malls on October 31st. The FBI has traced the e-mail back to the source!

They suggested checking www.urbanlegends.com. I tell ya, people with a warped sense of humor are causing these additional problems that we just don't need!

First of all I must introduce myself and say Hello to the lovely ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. I hope that besides all the things going on in the world (WTC and Anthrax spreading) that all is well.

I have been doing a little research on anthrax and would like to give some advice to everyone. Stay away from people who are coughing and sneezing. Besides the fact that you dont want to get a cold anthrax can be airborn. People have been exposed.

They found some people here in NYC that have been exposed as well and they first said that they found out on the 25th. But just recently the news told that they knew since the 18th! They have lied to us.

Please dont fool yourself in thinking that they are telling us everything because their not. Do you honestly think that they would tell people how serious this is? They fear a huge panic so in all reality, they really wouldn't.

I am not saying this to scare anyone, I am only saying this to make people aware. I hope that everyone is safe and with faith in GOD we will make it through this.

First of all, welcome to GC.

However, I'm a bit confused by your findings. Since you are in NYC, maybe you know things the rest of us don't know. Please clarify, if you could.

The letters were postmarked September 18th. So, how could they have known on the 18th?:confused:

Since I both Live and Work in the Pyramids(AKA NYC) right here in midtown I know that the mayor will not come out and say everything that is going on in order to keep calm......but at the same time with our level of freedom here in the US it is extremly difficult to think you can prevent a anthrax break out from happening but at the same time we are in flu season and 95% of people who pass the flu are most contagieous during the first 2 days. So if you get a cold don't panic because someone may have passed it to you and you don't know. Long term exposure is the problem. If you show symptoms greater than 3 days get yourself checked. If your cold is getting worse and not better, get checked. Only you know how your body works and react to your body.

Sphinxpoet
Finally the Sphinxpoet has come back to the AKA GC!

Anthrax in D.C.
 

Anthrax has made it's way to Washington, DC! I just heard on the news that a letter with anthrax arrived at Tom Daschle's office and an employee has been exposed. They need to find whoever is responsible for this mess...and fast!

They're saying that there may be an Iraqi connection.... meaning they have reason to suspect that someone of Iraqi descent may have given anthrax to Mohammed Atta in Prague. The report also said that this does not mean that the Iraqis in general are involved, but they do know that they produce anthrax in that country.

I suppose it's no longer an "isolated case" :rolleyes: . I'm keeping my eyes open for small pox.

here's what i heard on the news...
 

There was a guy on there, I forget who he was, a former something or 'nother important. Anyway, when asked what type of advice he gave his family he said to STAY AWAY FROM BUFFETS, SALAD BARS, AND CROWDS.

:mad: DAMMIT!! :mad: (sorry for my language :o)

I JUST came back from a chinese buffet. This is the SECOND time I've been to a buffet since he said that on TV. I'm tellin' you, my mother was right, head hard as a brick. :shakingmyhead:

This anthrax business is just surreal, and I agree with tickledpink about looking for smallpox. Just the word "smallpox" causes my skin to start itching.

That is why my mama doesn't like to go to buffetts!

You know, I thought I was mad before, but I'm really hot now. :mad:

Breathe in Soror Breathe out :o :o :o

:mad:

I got enough anger for both of us.

My mistake.
 

I was just told by someone else that it was postmarked on the 18th so that was my mistake but at the same time I still dont think they are telling us the truth.

And thank you for welcoming me.:)

Actually you are not that off. Tom Brokaw was on TODAY, today with the scoop. He said that they believed that the letter was one received much later, but later with a more thorough investigation they found out that the tainted letter was actually the one received on the 18th.

BTW: Could the people calling in the false alarms please get a grip?? Hate to be rude, but every old folk's home in Boston has called in suspicious powder.....Lord...

ok now im confused :confused: I told you they are telling lies. I smell some dead rats.

:confused:

Not sure what the problem is? I think you are reading it a little wrong....

If you had seen the show with Tom you would have seen that he was very shook up and seemed to be genuinely concerned for the safety of his assistant. I have yet to figure out what, if anything can be gained by the television station from this anthrax thing.....

Anywho, the mix up came because, as it seems, this was not the only hate mail that Tom has ever gotten. And, because the case had yet to be diagnosed, they erroneous believed that the letter was received later in Sept. rather than sooner. That is how the investigators became infected. They properly handled the wrong letter, and had improperly handled the tainted one.

Hope thats a little clearer. :)

Can we all wake up from the nightmare...
 

I just saw where the baby son of an ABC news producer has tested positive for skin anthrax. Also, there is an article on CNN about smallpox (not to say that there is an outbreak, but just talking about the disease in general).

I also saw a news cast where a pharmacist in Florida treated Atta for rough, red hands which he said looked like it was exposure. Of course, they investigated to see if Atta or 2 other men that were also going there had been inquiring about Cipro (antibiotic for anthrax) and found that they had not. The pharmacist suggested a cream to relieve his symptoms. My first thought: If Atta was going on a suicide mission, depending on the date that he asked for advice, he wouldn't have inquired about a cure for anthrax. Why would he need it?

Anyway, this is from charlotte.com:


Posted at 11:09 p.m. EDT Monday, October 15, 2001

Suspicious powder at Charlotte office
Officials say anthrax unlikely; tests continue

By SCOTT DODD HEATHER VOGELL ROBERT F. MOORE
Staff Writers
Charlotte firefighters evacuated an office building near downtown for more than an hour Monday and sent a white powder to Raleigh for further study after a field test designed to spot anthrax showed signs of bacteria.

Though they won't know for three days, authorities stressed that it's unlikely the powder found at 521 E. Morehead St. actually contained anthrax or another biological agent. Officials said the field test is 50 percent accurate at best; a benign bacteria could trigger a positive result.

Police, firefighters and FBI agents have investigated dozens of powders and packages throughout Charlotte in the past few days. Firefighters said this was the first time initial tests detected a bacteria.

Similar scenes have played out across the Carolinas and the world since Friday, when an NBC News employee in New York tested positive for anthrax following earlier exposures in Florida.

Most scares have been unfounded. But thousands of office workers and airline passengers have seen their buildings emptied and planes grounded as piles of sugar and talcum powder have led to fears of a biological attack.

Dozens of government workers in Australia were hosed down Monday after their office received a letter containing white powder, and German officials were investigating a powdery substance found in the mailroom of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's offices.

Police and health officials across the Carolinas have received hundreds of phone calls in the past week from people worried about anthrax.

"In some cases they found sugar. In some cases, they found flour," said Renee Hoffman, spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. "In one case they found where a construction worker tracked concrete dust into a building."

In Gastonia, the fire department received 10 to 12 hazardous material calls this weekend. Most concerned unusual mail, and a few involved suspicious powder. Union County Sheriff Frank McGuirt said his office in recent days has investigated two reports from residents worried about pieces of mail. Authorities in both counties believe fears of anthrax in these cases are unfounded.

Police in Charlotte set up a special unit last week to screen anthrax-related calls. They've already handled more than 120, including a report of a sponge in a mailbox with a powdery substance on it and a suspicious envelope from Daytona Beach, Fla.

Charlotte FBI agents have sent at least six envelopes or packages to a lab in Raleigh for analysis in the last week.

Hazardous materials teams have been to 38 incidents in Charlotte since Friday - about three times the normal volume. Other incidents Monday included a suspicious letter at the First Union offices uptown and a smudge on an elevator at Duke Energy's headquarters.

The Charlotte Fire Department is doubling the number of available hazardous materials firefighters to 16, Chief Luther Fincher said Monday, so they can respond to anthrax scares 24 hours a day.

The first possible positive test for bacteria came Monday, when employees at the five-story Morehead Place across from the Central YMCA noticed a white powder that looked like flour in an ashtray behind their building. A hazardous materials team tested the powder, which was also seen by the back door to the lobby and an elevator.

Firefighters set off the alarm to evacuate about 70 people from the building, which houses about 30 businesses, including law firms, federal offices and mortgage companies. Local Republican leader Thomas J. Ashcraft's law firm has an office there, as does the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Shaken office workers gathered in front of the building Monday afternoon to hear briefings from emergency authorities. Some asked whether they should be taking antibiotics, and a few were close to tears. One woman afraid of infecting her pets asked what to do with her shoes.

Jittery employees were told not to take precautions or seek treatment.

Tony Bateman, the fire department's hazardous materials coordinator, said there would be enough time - and medicine - to treat anyone if the substance turned out to be harmful.

Meantime, he said, there was no need to take antibiotics and advised employees to wash their shoes and clothing if they were concerned. He advised using cleaners such as antibacterial soap or bleach.

Jim Elting, a system manager for building tenant Ceridian Corp., said he saw the powder just past 9 a.m. Most was in the ashtray, but some was near the lobby's back door and in an elevator. It looked moist.

"At first I thought it might (be) talcum powder," he said. "I thought somebody may have been playing a joke."

Firefighters compared the field test they used to a home pregnancy test - quick and easy, but not foolproof. "It's more likely to be wrong that it is to be right," said Bateman.

Experts said more accurate field testing kits are available, although they may be more expensive. One manufactured by Alexeter Technologies in Wheeling, Ill. went on the market in February.

Chief Fincher said he was unaware that more accurate field tests existed, but would have his staff look into it.

The SMART Ticket tests employed in Charlotte were provided by the Department of Defense during anti-terrorism training about two years ago, Fincher said.

The fire department had about 10 kits on hand for training. They were first used in the field this weekend and quickly ran out. The hazardous materials team obtained more from the N.C. Emergency Management Agency.

Agency spokesman Tom Ditt said other counties have requested more test kits, as well, but he had not heard of any shortages.

"If we need them, we can have them ordered very quickly," he said.

Bateman said the Charlotte Fire Department is running low on test kits again, but can obtain more from the state and military, if necessary.

It will be up to the state health lab in Raleigh to determine if the substance found in Charlotte on Monday was indeed anthrax or any other threat. Once a questionable substance arrives at the lab, it goes through a series of tests that can confirm or rule out anthrax.

The process takes two or three days, partly because the sample must first be grown in a cell culture, which takes about 18 hours, before microbiologists can examine it under a microscope. Multiple tests are used to be sure of the result.

Bateman said the circumstances in which the powder was found make it unlikely to be anthrax. "This doesn't fit any kind of threatening profile," he said. "None."

Firefighters took the ashtray, although they didn't try to remove all the powder from the building. "We are not a cleanup company," Bateman said.

In the meantime, employees were allowed to return to their offices and told not to worry, although several chose to go home Monday afternoon.

Public heath officials stressed that people shouldn't panic over the scares.

"There's been a lot of hype and hysteria," said Dr. Kelly McKee, head of the communicable disease branch at the N.C. state health lab. Worrying about anthrax, he said, "is a little bit like being afraid you're going to be hit by a meteor."

Staff writers Karen Garloch and Mark Johnson contributed to this report.

@ your post office
 

Ideal and our other DC/MD area peeps...WATCH OUT!

Police investigating white powder found in Senate building


By Siobhan McDonough
ASSOCIATED PRESS
9:17 p.m. February 2, 2004

WASHINGTON – Preliminary tests of a white powder discovered in a Senate office building Monday were positive for the potentially deadly poison ricin, the U.S. Capitol Police chief said.

Two out of three tests indicate ricin, Chief Terrance Gainer said at a late-evening news conference. The third test came out negative, and a fourth, more definitive test was under way, with results expected Tuesday.

Sixteen people who were on the floor where the white powder was discovered on mail were being decontaminated and would be allowed to go home, Gainer said.

"At the moment we're in a wait-and-see position from an analytical point of view in what next steps we may take," he said. That included what, if any decontamination of the Dirksen Senate Office Building would be needed.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., also at the news conference, said no symptoms were reported by those near the powder. "Everybody's fine" and there is "no cause for alarm," he said.

"Nobody is sick, we don't expect anybody to get sick," said Frist, a surgeon before his election to the Senate.

The powder was discovered at about 3 p.m. in a mail room near Frist's office on the fourth floor of the Dirksen Building, Gainer said. A congressional official had said earlier the powder was found in Frist's office suite.

Another government official said lab tests were being conducted at Fort Detrick in Maryland, but Gainer refused to give any location.

Authorities do not know if the substance was found on a letter or a package, the chief said.

The Homeland Security Department is monitoring the situation, spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said.

Ricin, derived from the castor bean plant, can kill within days. Twice as deadly as cobra venom, ricin is relatively easily made. It may be inhaled, ingested or injected.

Police found traces of ricin in a north London apartment last January and arrested seven men of North African origin in connection with the virulent toxin that has been linked to al-Qaeda terrorists and Iraq.

A package containing ricin was also found at a post facility serving Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina in October.

An FBI official said the bureau was awaiting the result of tests at the Fort Detrick laboratory before deciding whether to get more fully involved in the case.

Mail to congressional offices has been irradiated since deadly anthrax was found in letters sent to the offices of Sens. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., in 2001. No one was arrested in those incidents.

Frist said irradiation would likely have no effect on ricin because the substance is neither a virus or a bacterium.

I heard this before I went to sleep last night. How frightening!

Antrhaxx, the JJ/JT fiasco...

Is this a way of throwing our attention from the South Carolina Primary and other primaries held today?

:confused:

I do love a little conspiracy theory!! :cool:

and yes, I think that's the case.