ANTHRAX-@ DC area Post Office??????????????

[AKA2D '91]

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? 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

[korkscru]

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.

[AKAtude]

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. That is the only reason I could think of at the moment.

[ZChi4Life]

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.

[aggieAXO]

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

[AKA2D '91]

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?

[AKAtude]

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

[MavenofDrec]

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.

[AKA2D '91]

Originally posted by MavenofDrec
Unfortunately, I think the nightmare has just begun.

I agree.

[/b]
I am trying very hard to get the pheezy forsheezy up out of New York. It is a playground for Anti-American sentiment. [/B]

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



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

[AKA2D '91]

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

Also Colorado...

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



Postal workers will be subject to testing as a result.

[MavenofDrec]

Yes AKA2D'91

Anyplace but here!

[kiml122]

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. 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!!

[AKAtude]

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. 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.

[Serenity]

Originally posted by AKAtude
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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

[AKAtude]

Originally posted by AKA2D '91
Places like Wyoming, North and South Dakota seem appealing, don't they?

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.