Palm Beach County FL Man has Anthrax

Fox News Channel

[NautiNurse]

Breaking news on FNC--a 63 year old man from Palm Beach County is in critical condition with anthrax

[Lady GOP]

Nukes for those living in Afghanistan..what about those here in the US..?

[PRND21]

Could be from a stream in North Carolina.
Victim is a hunter. British from Lantana, FL.

[Elenya]

Thanks!

GandtheD

[IC Ken]

Florida is the 2nd largest cattle state. I think this case is isolated and not any bio warfare.

[TOMH1]

Way back when, I think I remember reading that once an area of farm land was contaminated by anthrax, it was contaminated for a VERY long time. Is that true?

[Movemout]

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. 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. Symptoms a reddish brown sore that breaks open and forms a scab fever chills general discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise) headache nausea & vomiting shortness of breath cough congestion of the nose and throat pneumonia chest pain joint stiffness joint pain Signs and tests blood cultures positive for anthrax chest X-ray serologic test for anthrax spinal tap for CSF culture and analysis		ADVERTISEMENT
Overview | Treatment

[NautiNurse]

Fox news says last diagnosed case of human anthrax in the US was 25 years ago--only 18 cases in the entire 20th century.

[Tree of Liberty]

Shep Smith just said there's been 18 cases of inhaled anthrax in the 20th century, the last one of which was 25 years ago.

[Nuke'm Glowing]

Not a lot of cattle in Lantana, trust me. It's a very urban area. It would appear to be from hunting, but I'm not drawing any conclusions until we see if there are further outbreaks.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Is this the only case reported? Are you in that local area? If so, how is it being reported locally? This is really pretty scary. I'm sure we'll be told that it's due to some accidental action by the Ukrenian Military.

No, I'm in Houston but Thommy THompson said there was a case a year or so ago in TX. In the 20th Century there have been 18 reported cases.

We need to be steady. I think this is just an isolated case and will keep the media busy for awhile.

[Dirk McQuickly]

I thought Thompson said they believe it was "inhaled" anthrax. Did I mishear that?

[PBRSTREETGANG]

So you get anthrax from North Carolina restaurants?

[FreeTally]

Although the guy is old, my guess would be that the infected person may have been a terrorist trying to work with Anthrax.

And your guess is based upon nothing but the paranoia the government has instilled in you since 9/11. Stop being an alarmist. Isolated cases happen every year, and we were due for one.

[seeker41]

I'm just leary b/c at first they thought it was "menengitis" until the CDC confirmed Anthrax. Are there other cases misdiagnosed as well and why was the CDC consulted about a case of "menengitis" ?

[Tree of Liberty]

I heard the same.

[dandelion]

From the Emedicine Anthrax website:

Frequency:

• In the US: During the last 20 years, the indigenous US incidence has been less than 1 case per year. From 1955-1994, US cases totaled 235, with 224 cases of cutaneous anthrax, 11 cases of inhalational anthrax, and 20 fatalities.

• Internationally: In 1958, approximately 100,000 cases of anthrax occurred worldwide. Exact figures do not exist because of reporting difficulties in Africa. Anthrax is endemic in Africa and Asia despite vaccination programs. Sporadic outbreaks have occurred as a result of both agricultural and military disruptions. During the 1978 Rhodesian civil war, failure of veterinary vaccination programs led to a human epidemic, causing 6500 anthrax cases and 100 fatalities. A mishap at a military microbiology facility in the former Soviet Union in 1979 resulted in 66 deaths. Human anthrax often is associated with agricultural or industrial workers who come in contact with infected animal tissue.

Mortality/Morbidity: Anthrax is primarily zoonotic. Most anthrax disease is cutaneous (95%). The remaining cases of the disease are inhalational (5%) and GI (<1%).

[ET(end tyranny)]

Article

[Letitring]

Presenting with these advanced symptoms, we will soon know if it's an isolated case, or something else.

[CFW]

GARDEN CITY, Mich. (AP) Three young people were stricken with bacterial meningitis and they all were in critical condition Thursday.

A 20-year-old man was admitted Monday to Garden City Hospital, and two teen-agers were admitted Wednesday, said Terry Carroll, director of community relations for the suburban Detroit hospital.

The 20-year-old was being treated at the intensive-care unit. A 15-year-old boy was transferred to a University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor, and a 14-year-old girl was transferred to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Carroll said.

The county health department was trying to determine whether the cases are connected, Carroll said.

Bacterial meningitis is a serious infection of the fluid and membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It is spread through coughing, kissing and other close contact. Flulike symptoms can include high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and a stiff neck.

The disease kills in roughly 10 percent of cases and does serious harm, including brain damage, in another 10 percent. A viral form of meningitis exists but is generally less serious

[NautiNurse]

The only really deadly anthrax infection is via inhalation. You can get an infection through a break in the skin, but that route is actually quite benign.