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Here's the latest from BearWash on the mystery bug:

Dakota Direct illness still unknown

By John Stang

Herald Staff Writer

Dakota Direct and its parent corporation remained mum Friday on what illness led the company to send its Pasco employees home Thursday, and its subsequent cleaning and disinfection of the facility.

Employees returned to work Friday at the Pasco telemarketing shop, the company confirmed. The site employs about 190 people.

Questions to Dakota Direct were referred Thursday and Friday to the parent corporation, Atlanta-based West Corporation.

On Thursday, West Corp. said one employee had a potentially infectious illness, so the rest were sent home and the building was scrubbed as a precaution. On Thursday, West Corp. declined to identify the illness, citing privacy laws.

Phone calls Friday to West Corp. were not returned.

Meanwhile, the Benton-Franklin County Health Department has contacted Dakota Direct's offices in Spokane and San Antonio, Texas, and the West Corp. office in Atlanta, but could not obtain information on what disease led to Thursday's closure, other than it could be infectious.

"It's frustrating...We've had a lot of employees phone us, wondering what to do," said Heather Hill, the department's communicable diseases supervisor.

The health department and the Herald have received several rumors about what the illness could be, but neither have been able to confirm any of them.

"We have offered our support and assistance to Dakota Direct and their corporate offices and await their reply,.... We have had no reports of infectious diseases from other physicians or emergency rooms that would lead us to any concern at this time," the health department said in a written statement.

(Accompanying photo shows building exterior) 20 posted on 01/17/2004 11:29:53 AM PST by BearWash

Someone else mentioned on the unidentified illness thread that a similar situation happened in Panama City Florida with Grolier and they had to shut down and move the operation.

It might just be meningitis but I don't understand why they can't leak that info to calm public nerves.

Yes.
They need to specify what the disease IS or
to issue a press release as to what disease
they are testing for.

Also its been reported the CDC says the flu shots were not potent enough, possibly diluted in strength