Posted on 10/04/2001 12:35:09 PM PDT by NautiNurse
Humans can contract anthrax in three ways:
Through cuts or breaks in the skin resulting from contact with an infected animal (cutaneous anthrax), resulting in local and possibly systemic (bloodstream) infection.
From breathing anthrax spores (termed "woolsorters" disease) resulting in an infection of the lungs (inhalational anthrax).
From eating infected meat, resulting in gastrointestinal infection (gastrointestinal anthrax). Gastrointestinal anthrax is generally not considered a threat to U.S. forces.
On the bright side, it shows that our medical system is on its toes for diagnosing and dealing with anthrax. And perhaps this will afford more doctors an opportunity for familiarizing themselves with the disease firsthand.
wool sorter's disease Definition
Anthrax is an infectious often fatal disease associated with animal contact (mostly farm animals) and which, today, is rarely seen in the United States but still exists in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Causes, Incidence and Risk Factors
Anthrax is caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. It is a disease of sheep, cattle, horses, goats, and swine. Human infection, though rare, is an occupational disease of farm workers, veterinarians, and tannery and wool workers.
The disease has a skin form (cutaneous anthrax) and a pulmonary form (inhalation anthrax). In the cutaneous form, the infection is transmitted through a break in the skin. After lesions form and the dead tissue and crusts fall off, infection may spread through the bloodstream and cause shock, cyanosis, sweating, and collapse. The incidence is 1 out of 100,000 people.
In the pulmonary form, infection occurs by breathing in anthrax spores. The resultant pneumonia, rapidly causes respiratory distress followed by death. Meningitis can also develop. The incidence of inhalation anthrax is very rare.
Because anthrax spores remain infectious for many years, the disease can be picked up from old animal products such as sheep skins, wool blankets, and so on. Because the spores are long lasting and the incubation is short and disability is severe, experimentation with anthrax as a biological weapon has been common.
Symptoms
The objective of treatment is to cure the infection with antibiotics. Penicillin or tetracycline are used for mild cutaneous disease. Note: tetracycline is usually not prescribed for children until after all their permanent teeth have come in, because it can permanently discolor teeth that are still forming. Penicillin is the usual medication, however, it often must be given intravenously. Expectations (Prognosis)
Pulmonary and meningeal anthrax are usually (90%) fatal despite antibiotic therapy and intensive care. Complications
Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you develop symptoms of this disorder following exposure to animals or animal products.
Prevention
Anthrax in the United States is extremely rare and special precautions are not advised. A vaccine is available for travelers at risk for exposure to animals or animal products in high-incidence countries.
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Palm Beach man hospitalized with anthrax
BY MANNY GARCIA And DAVID KIDWELL dkidwell@herald.com
A 63-year-old Palm Beach County man has been hospitalized in critical condition in Lantana with anthrax, state health officials confirmed today.
State of Florida and federal investigators from the Centers for Disease Control are at the Columbia JFK Medical Center are investigating, federal sources said.
The patient was identitified as Robert Stevens.
Investigators said he had recently returned from dropping his son off at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
At a hastily arranged news conference, Florida Lt. Gov Frank Brogan said the man was first diagnosed with meningitis, but the Centers for Disease Control confirmed that it was anthrax Wednesday afternoon.
Brogan said the man may have inhaled the deadly bacteria but added that the health officials believe it is an isolated case.
Anthrax is not contagious from one person to another, and in the rare occasions when it is spread to humans, it is usually done so by infected animals.
In the United States, about one case of anthrax has been confirmed each year over the last 10 years, according to a report by Dr. Arthur M. Friedlander, chief of the Bacteriology Division in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. The bacteria is most deadly when spread by air, making it one of the most feared methods of biological attack. But such cases are rare.
In 1979 in Sverdlovsk, Russia, anthrax spores accidentally released from a military research facility reportedly killed dozens of people.
Judy Orihuela, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Miami, said agents are assisting with the investigation.
"We're monitoring the case with the CDC and Florida Health officials," Orihuela said.
At Columbia JFK Medical Center in Lantana, hospital officials declined to comment. They said information would be released later today. A security guard was posted at the entrance to the critical care unit on the hospital's second floor. A media representative escorted a reporter off the property.
He says this is an isolated case, but if anyone else gets it, they will be treated. The patient had traveled to NC, and eaten in restaurants.
http://www.1drugstore-online.com/
You want ciprofloxacin or Doxycycline
You must spend a lot of time freaking out, huh?
Sporatic cases due occur, as is the case in Miami.
CDC is on the ground and checking areas in North Carolina where he recently visited.
Turn on Fox News they're having a news conf.
"Never start a fight, but by God, ALWAYS FINISH IT!"
-Captain John Sheridan
Earth Spa
Nope. I'm very hard to freak out. ;-)
Its an airborne disease. You breath in spores. Its not contagious like small pox. One good rain would wipe it out.
Although the guy is old, my guess would be that the infected person may have been a terrorist trying to work with Anthrax.
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