Posted on 10/08/2001 5:30:32 AM PDT by Maceman
As I said, it's natural for people to see anthrax boogeymen everywhere today, and I'm inclined to believe that this is something unfortunate but completely unrelated. I'm no medical professional by any means, and I'm not at all qualified to offer an opinion that means anything. And I'm obviously posting hearsay stuff, and probably an incomplete account, too.
I do know that the hospital is taking this very seriously and some of the physicians are in favor of calling a press conference, but the hospital board, wisely I think, wants more information before doing that. There's a fine line between full disclosure and needlessly alarming the public who are already on edge.
Bin Laden seems to be living in this fantasy world of his own definition. Now that he will have to make decisions with people watching, that is to say, with real people opposing him, he will make the kind of decisions one would expect from someone with a poor understanding of the real character of his enemy, shallow and ineffective, seemingly without reason.
That is, assuming any of this is an "attack"
A co-worker of the man who died last week from anthrax also has tested positive for the disease and the building where both worked was closed after the bacterium was detected there.This doesn't jive. How can natuarally occuring anthrax appear in an office building?[...snip...] Officials believe Stevens contracted anthrax naturally in Florida.
I think this is related to the stories we've been hearing about manila envelopes with white powder in them. Even if the government doesn't believe this, I'm not opening any unknown envelopes and I'm emailing everyone I know not to also, just to be safe. Is this finaly a justifcation for mass email campaign?
-Snerdley
"Never start a fight, but by God, ALWAYS FINISH IT!"
-Captain John Sheridan
Earth Space Station Babylon 5
Bingo. It just creates more suspicion even if the incident is indeed "isolated and not connected to the events of September 11th." Notice how a lot of the incidents are being described like that. Sure, they're not a few hi-jacked planes crashing into buildings, but they sure hint of terrorism...
Not an effective disbursement method for military application but reasonably sufficent for a small outbreak....
If the pilots put on masks and were taking antibiotics, they would be safe.....
Not that longevity was a factor in their lives.....
NeverGore
The airport in Belle Glade is about 40 miles away. This airport is where Atta inquired about crop dusters, but never flew to my knowledge.
It is not paranoia to suspect this is involved with the terrorists. a 1 in every 26 year event, which is usually involved with spores from livestock takes place in an office building filled with journalists near the airport where Mohammad Atta, the terrorist ringleader flew from 4 times.
If there was no bombing of the WTC and Pentagon, this story would be alot bigger. The media is downplaying this ironically.
People would be speculating in the media about a deliberate action. They would think a disgruntled person who was wronged by the paper. Because it possibly could be a mideastern based terror attack, the media/government is soft pedaling this big time.
Think about it. If this happened in mid july, at any newspaper office in the country, the media would have been all over this.
If people in general believe that the government is intentionally keeping information from them that could potentially be livesaving to their family to protect the economy, there will be hell will pay.....
I'd fight and die for my country but protecting my wife and kid's is first on my list....
The first sign of biologicals in the Atlanta area and my family will be moved to our second house in a remote isolated area of the North Carolina mountains.....
NeverGore
For what it's worth, the local Florida papers have been describing him as "semi-retired," and as a "photo editor" and "re-toucher." If you can believe these descriptions (which seem to jive with his time-consuming gardening and neighborhood involvement), the only work he performed for the Sun, at least lately, was in their WPB office.
That is a possibility. I have neighbors who refuse to go into the city or shopping malls for fear of bombs and/or bio-terrorism. They know that it is irrational. On the plus side, their savings account is getting fuller. They are also more likely to buy necessary stuff and not useless decorative junk made in China. They are blissfully unaware of the kinds of news gathering FReepers are exposed to. They get what they need from the newspaper (NYT-owned) and CNN, yet they're still cautious and would definitely freak if I showed them these articles, postings and links.
Her take on this is to check the pathologists at the hospital - they will be the first to know.
Hantavirus is endemic in the Southwest among rodents,though I don't think it has ever shown up as far East as Houston. There was an outbreak on an Indian Reservation in Arizona or New Mexico about ten years ago.
While the symptoms may look similar to Anthrax at first, it is a virus and will look nothing like Anthrax when cultured.
So9
A nasal swab from the patient tested positive for the anthrax bacterium, said Tim O'Conner, regional spokesman for Florida's health department.
It was not yet clear if anthrax had only infiltrated his nose or had gotten into his lungs, officials said. Relatively large anthrax spores that lodge in the upper respiratory tract are less dangerous than smaller spores that get into the lungs.
Doctors "describe his condition as good right now," O'Conner said. "He hasn't been diagnosed with the disease, there's just a presence of (the disease) in his nostrils."
"He was given a nasal swab because he happened to be in a hospital and he was ill," said Barbara Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
O'Conner and Reynolds said they did not know what symptoms of illness the man displayed or whether any of the symptoms were consistent with anthrax. The disease in early stages may resemble the flu.
Good thing this guy was sick with an unrelated illness right? The media is soft pedaling this big time.
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