Herald Sun Sunday Edition:
We're ready for germs
By ROBYN RILEY, Medical reporter
14oct01
AUSTRALIA is as prepared as it can be for biological or chemical terror attacks, experts say.
But Australians will not be offered vaccines against anthrax, smallpox or the bubonic plague as a precaution.
Australia's acting chief medical officer, Professor John Mathews, said no country had enough vaccines stockpiled to immunise entire populations.
Infectious diseases experts say it would be useless to try – because many of the vaccines have serious side effects and some, like the one for the plague, need to be repeated every six months.
A limited supply of anthrax vaccine is available in Australia, but it should be given 18 months before exposure.
The 15 million doses of smallpox vaccines stockpiled in America were made years ago and are nearing their expiry dates.
Professor Mathews said the risk of a bioterrorism attack in Australia was small, but confirmed that authorities were prepared.
"Clearly you can not exclude a risk," he said. "But Australia has good preparations in place, which were updated for the Sydney Olympics last year."
He said major hospitals in all states had supplies of antibiotics to treat the five illnesses identified as possible agents for biochemical weapons – anthrax, smallpox, botulism, tularemia and the plague.
Professor Mathews said it would be difficult for terrorists to spread these infections to large numbers.
"The Florida incident last week confirmed that," he said. "People were exposed to anthrax, but it proved very hard to infect large numbers."
He said it would also be difficult for terrorists to spread smallpox on a large scale.
"And the plague would not spread in a population like Australia," Professor Mathews said.
"Botulism is one of the agents spoken about as a threat. But to produce enough toxin to distribute this widely would be, we believe, almost impossible."
Tularemia is very infectious, but can be treated with antibiotics.
"Certainly with what we know about these agents, the incidence would, at most, infect only a small number of people," Professor Mathews said.
He said no country in the world could be totally secure, or think the risk of germ warfare was zero.
"But Australians should be very reassured that long before September 11 we had in place a good system," he said. "And we are now re-examining all contingency plans."
A Victorian infectious diseases expert, Dr Tilman Ruff, said it was reasonable for Australians to be concerned about biological weapons.
But he said the risk was small and any attack would be localised "in a particular city or a contained area such as an office building".
Dr Ruff said prevention was the best way of eradicating the threat of bioterrorism.
"Frankly, there is very little one can do to mitigate the effects of germ warfare," Dr Tilman said. "In terms of immunising the population on a mass scale it would be too difficult, costly and there are risks."
Dr Ruff, director of vaccines for GlaxoSmithKline, said immunisation against anthrax and the plague had not been rigorously tested and may have considerable side effects.
"There were allegations that the anthrax vaccine caused what has become known as the Gulf War Syndrome," he said. "Many American military personnel suffered ill health and the vaccine may have been a cause. It is still being investigated."
Dr Ruff said smallpox vaccine had not been used routinely in Australia since 1974, so people under 25 have no immunity.
The last anthrax case in Victoria was in 1997 – a knackery worker who was treated with antibiotics and survived.
Dr Ruff said a nasty strain of influenza had the potential to kill millions. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 killed 20 million people, more than the number killed in World War I.
"(But) there is an influenza vaccine readily available here," Dr Ruff said.
Chemical warfare had its beginnings when mustard gas billowed into the trenches with horrifying effect in World War I. Since then military planners have factored defence against chemical agents into their battle plans.
Iraq is alleged to have used VX nerve gas to kill thousands of Kurdish rebels before and during the Gulf War.
In 1995, members of the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo sect released sarin nerve gas in a Tokyo subway, killing 12 people and making 6000 sick. They had planned to use anthrax, but could not get it into an aerosol form.
An incredible source paper on US Military policy [Free ...
... study calling for a DOD-funded study on the presence of antibodies to squalene (an
experimental, non-approved vaccine booster) in the blood of Gulf War Illness ...
Gee! I guess those Gulf War Vets weren't faking it after ...
... To: all. GAO Calls for Squalene Tests. By Paul M. Rodriguez. Although the Defense
Department denied having a role in the presence of the adjuvant squalene in the ...
Squalene found in military anthrax vaccine after numerous ...
... Squalene found in military anthrax vaccine after numerous denials Government News
Source: Militarycorruption.com Published: 7-13-01 Posted on 07/13/2001 08:09 ...
FEMALE SERGEANT DEAD FROM ANTHRAX SHOT - WHEN WILL PENTAGON ...
... Related Stories. MEDICAL EXAMINER LINKS DEATH TO ANTHRAX VACCINE. SQUALENE
CONFIRMED IN ANTHRAX VACCINE AFTER NUMEROUS PENTAGON DENIALS. ...