Egyptian Sailor Dies in Brazil From Anthrax- Brazil Police

Reuters ^ | April 28, 2003

[Shermy]

BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - A crew member of an Egyptian merchant ship has died in northern Brazil, almost certainly from anthrax, after opening a suitcase suspected of containing the substance which he was taking to Canada.

A spokesman for Brazilian federal police in the Amazon state of Para said on Monday an autopsy of the Egyptian man, whom he named as Ibrahim Saved Soliman Ibrahim, showed that he had died after vomiting, internal bleeding and multiple organ failure.

"He was the victim of anthrax," said Castro, adding that police were 90 percent certain that Ibrahim had died of anthrax.

Ibrahim died in the hotel were he was staying on April 11. Several health workers who found his body were taken to a hospital after becoming ill but are now out of danger.

Ibrahim had traveled to Brazil from Cairo to join his ship, the Wabi Alaras, which loaded bauxite in the Amazon to take to Canada.

"We imagine that this is about bioterrorism and Brazil was just used as a point of transfer," said Castro.

Ibrahim died before his ship sailed to Canada, where it was quarantined by authorities last week.

Canada was alerted about the ship through Interpol.

Castro said Ibrahim had been given the suitcase in Cairo by an unidentified person and was due to deliver it to somebody in Canada. But he doubted Ibrahim knew what the content of the bag was otherwise he most likely would not have opened it.

"He opened it because he was curious," Castro said.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, five people died in still-unsolved anthrax mailings.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Of course, what is the incubation time if one snorts itYes, perhaps a very high inhaled density would knock days off the build up to visible symptoms.

[FairOpinion]

"The latest from Canada - why would they expect anthrax on the ship anyway? The story now is that he never made it to the ship, but died in his hotel room. "

---

That's not what they said earlier:

"The ship left Brazil about April 13 after picking up a load of bauxite. Mr. Fowler said the man fell ill after the ship set sail and an autopsy was done at the nearest Brazilian port. "

Sounds like the ship sailed, they guy died on board, then they stopped at the next port to hand over his body. Other earlier articles said substantially the same thing.

[PLMerite]

"I wonder if he thought it was drugs and snorted some?"

I can't imagine a "better" - more efficient - way to spread something like anthrax than to mix it in with x-amount of cocaine.

The infected-to-exposed ratio would be very high.

[aristeides]

The infected-to-exposed ratio would be very high.

Only if people aren't quickly warned that there's contaminated cocaine out there.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Inhalational anthrax generally occurs after an incubation period of 1 to 6 days (14).

Brachman PS, Friedlander AM. Anthrax. In: Plotkin & Mortimer, editors. Vaccines. Philadelphia (PA): W.B. Saunders; 1994. p. 730

cited at Clinical and Epidemiologic Principles of Anthrax [CDC]

[FairOpinion]

Here is yet another article which said he dies ON the ship:

"The crewman died after the ship left one Brazilian port with a load of bauxite. The ship docked again at another port on the Amazon, where the man's body was removed and the vessel was sanitized. "

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/900477/posts

This is what I believe. I think the reason for the concern about the ship, is that ifhe opened the suitcase ON the ship, spores could still be all over there. Just remember the difficulty they had here in the US to decontaminate the post offices and the Senate building, when a few spores escaped from an opened letter. Now picture a SUITCASE full of anthrax.

[aristeides]

Might be simplest to sink the ship. How do anthrax bacilli do underwater?

[blam]

"If you want to believe that this Egyptian sailor traveling on a ship carrying bauxite died from exposure to infected animals simply because he was from a third-world country, be my guest."

...and, he was the first mate, next in command to the captain. In Egypt he would be an elite and not likely to be dealing with farm animals.

[Shermy]

"I can tell you that right from the beginning, the threat criminally or from a terrorist point of view to Canada in this instance has been zero," said Tanner.

That's quite a gutsy call. Maybe Chretien denial mode, maybe from touchiness about SARS in Toronto.

[PLMerite]

"Only if people aren't quickly warned that there's contaminated cocaine out there."

True, depending upon how quickly they figure out it's the coke. I have no idea how quickly it would take x-amount of cocaine from one source to be distributed and "consumed."

I guess it would have to be introduced into an existing high-volume supply chain.

[blam]

Looks like the Canadians are down-playing the incident.

[Shermy]

Go here to this Belem/Para station:

www.tvliberal.com.br

Click the link that says "Assistir" for the date "28/04"

About a minute and a half into the video news comes the anthrax story. They show a special coffin, interview some officials, etc.

[Travis McGee]

Keeping in mind that the 2001 anthrax hysteria was the result of less than 3 grams, I shudder to think about the economic fallout of even a ten kilogram attack craftily distributed via post etc.

[Allan]

Bump.