Antrax scare

What is this anthrax thing going on all over USA ?? There was an incident here in Austin, too ! Pretty scary

Right now just in Florida. A building that houses several newspaper offices had one employee die from pulmonary anthrax and they found the dust on the keyboard of a computer. There is also a late report that the librarian from the same building has also been contaminated but not come down ill. There was another gentleman who also came down ill but he is recovering slowly. they have determined that the strain is not a natural strain of anthrax but one made in a lab. There was also a blurb about a love letter from a fan to Jennifer Lopez that was delivered that contained a powdery bluish/white substance. The letter had been delivered the day before the 11th of September. They are looking into this as a possible test to see if the anthrax would be able to be effective this way. but it is early and it is still speculation.

Do you think that we should get prepared for it ?? I don't know how but ?? We can buy some masks maybe ?? But you can't walk around with a mask on your face !

We have decided not to eat outside from this day on (for some time at least).

I have a phobia of microbes (for 2 years now) !!

Just being paranoid I guess

dodo,
I understand your fear, I too am scared of this....but we can't let the fear of it control us. We can't let our fear get out of hand, that is what they want.
I hope the anthrax scare is that...a scare. But if it is real, and it happens, then it happens. We can't go around wearing masks and feeling fearful all the time.

I too am scared.
But I just have to take one day at a time, and feel assurred that if I do die, I am ready to meet God, I think that is all the preparation we really need.

. . . that you can't get Anthrax from being around another infected person, it seems to require some kind of physical contact to transmit it. It can live in soil for years. There is a vaccination for it, but right now only the military has access to it.

What are they symptoms? I mean, how would I know if I got infected?

Anthrax is pretty much like a bad case of the flu. It can be treated with antibiotics. I was talking to a doctor friend of us last night and he reaffirmed what I already new - recovery rates of people treated on time with antibiotics are 100%. Elderly people, small children and people with compromised immune systems are a different story and don't have a 100% recovery rate, but most can be cured.

Anthrax is not contagious between people. You need to be in contact with the original contaminator to get sick. It's true that a small amount is enough. The most famous case of anthrax breakout was in Sverdlovsk in cold war USSR. There was a large lab there studying biological warfare and they were also studying anthrax. One day, someone dropped a tube with 2 grams of anthrax spores. A little bit of that got outside through the ventilation system and managed to travel with the wind to the nearby town. The Soviet authorities hushed up the incident and didn't give the people any preventive care and didn't provide the right antibiotics. Almost 80 people died of anthrax within the next few days.

Obviously things are a bit different in the States... Proper care will be given immidiately and authorities are on the alert for any signs of anthrax. All in all, it's really surprising that 2 people had died in Florida. I understand that one of them was more than 70 years old. I don't know about the other one.

I agree with Debby, you should carry on living your life the way you did before. Gas masks are good for a specific attack when you know that your place had been bombed and you fear a chemical or biological agent may have been involved. It's not something that you can use just in case.

I think hearing all these other stories on TV are more scary than the two people in Florida. I heard (once) yesterday on CNN that a man in Utah had symptoms and he had visited the office of the newspaper the man who died worked. It just seems strange that no one had this until after the attacks on September 11th. In my area in Florida, there has been scares of strange substances which the police find out is body powder or some other harmless substance.

I agree with Debby, whatever happens is mostly out of our control but we should just live one day at a time without all these fears.

CNN recently reported that this type of Anthrax was man-made in a lab; in or around the year 1958.

Good information is the best protection against fear, in my book. If you know what you're looking for, you can make plans and take appropriate measures. So if I start to feel yucky or if my daughter complains of flu-like symptoms, I'll make a point of getting to the doctor rather than waiting a day or two to see what happens. But I'm not going to walk around thinking about it all the time, that's just paralyzing for me.

I'd rather have the police and health officials be a little paranoid about stuff like that. I far prefer they test powdery stuff and find out it's makeup than to have them assume it's makeup when it's actually something dangerous. My tax dollars pay them to be paranoid so I don't have to be.

After the man in Florida died from Antrax, there has been numerous reports of people receiving envelopes or packages in the mail wiht white powder. They thought it was the Antrax powder but authorities say its a false alarm. Is there a vaccination from Antrax? I would like me and my children to be protected and if their is not I think the scientist should be working on a vaccine. If Antrax is a deadly disease, then why isn't there much research, vaccines, and advise like they do to AIDS, HIV, and other deadly diseases. Before the tragedy, I never even knew about Antrax.

Nena, there is a vaccine for Anthrax, but unfortunately it is only available for the military.
I do know that antibiotics can help if you've been exposed, I think if you are concerned you should talk to your physician. We did our own research on the internet and now that I am informed I feel a little more relaxed.
You can check out the website by the US gov't on chemical/biological weapons. Just use your search engine, there is a LOT of info out there. happy surfing!!

They have been calling the death of the guy foul play. I cannot believe someone would deliberately spread this nasty virus! I hope they can find the person responsible for infecting 3 people! I just hope no one else tests positive!

2 more people from the same place have tested positive. They also found traces on the guy's keyboard.

This does not sound good.

Actually, it was only two people. The man in Virginia was found NOT to have the Anthrax.

Before anyone gets too confused - I have merged the two anthrax threads. Thought it's best to keep all this info in one place.

Here are some links about anthrax and the vaccine:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/disea.../anthrax_g.htm (official and quite good!)

http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh...er/anthrax.htm

http://www.aomc.org/ComDiseases/Anthrax.html (a good FAQ)

http://www.defenselink.mil/other_info/agent.htmlv

yesterday a 35 year old woman from the same place tested positive.

that's 3 from florida

Yes, I just heard about the 3rd person this morning. They were all in the American Media building in Florida.

All over the news, now, we are hearing about buildings being evacuated for fear of a foreign substance. Even if the terrorists never strike again, the seed has been planted and they can just sit back and watch as our nation goes into a panic. It is best to err on the side of caution, but sometimes I think that FEAR can be our next terrorist.

It's like Pres. Bush said last night....... they want us to be afraid & not go on about our daily business.
These anthrax outbreaks are getting scarier...... Now it says on MSNBC that part of the NY Times Office is in quarantine for a suspicious package!

.......and now an NBC employee in NYC has tested positive for Anthrax - THIS IS NOT GOOD!!!