Posted on 10/08/2001 5:30:32 AM PDT by Maceman
Officials: Anthrax Shown in Co-Worker
| Monday, October 08, 2001 |
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BOCA RATON, Fla. — 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.
The latest case, a man whose name was not immediately made public, was in stable condition Monday at an unidentified hospital, according to both the Florida and North Carolina health departments.
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, spread to his lungs or if he had a full-blown case of the disease.
The man's co-worker, Bob Stevens, died on Friday, the first person in 25 years in the United States to have died from a rare inhaled form of anthrax.
News that Stevens had contracted the disease set off fears of bio-terrorism, especially when it was revealed that Middle Eastern men were believed to have recently visited an airfield about 40 miles from Stevens' home in Lantana and asked questions about crop-dusters.
O'Conner said there is no evidence that either man was a victim of terrorism. ``That would take a turn in the investigation,'' he said. ``It's a different aspect, we were thinking more of environmental sources.''
Stevens, 63, was a photo editor at the supermarket tabloid The Sun. Environmental tests performed at the Sun's offices in Boca Raton detected the anthrax bacteria, said O'Conner.
The Sun's offices have been shuttered and law enforcement, local and state health and CDC officials were to take additional samples from the building on Monday, O'Conner said.
About 300 people who work in the building are being contacted by the Sun and instructed not come to work Monday and undergo antibiotic treatment to prevent the disease.
The FBI was helping in the search for the source of the bacterium, said Miami FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela. But ``the current risk of anthrax is extremely low,'' O'Conner said.
It was unclear when the final tests would tell whether or not the second man has full-blown anthrax. The bacterium normally has an incubation period of up to seven days, but could take up to 60 days to develop, O'Conner said.
``We're waiting for additional testing to see if it will become a confirmed case of anthrax or not,'' said Barbara Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. ``I realize for the public this is going to be a very slight distinction.''
Michael Kahane, vice president and general counsel of American Media Inc., which publishes the Sun and two other tabloids, the Globe and the National Enquirer, confirmed the company closed its Boca Raton building at the request of state health officials.
``We are cooperating with the department of health and all other governmental agencies investigating this matter,'' he said Monday. ``Obviously our first concern is the health and well-being of our employees and their families.''
Only 18 inhalation cases in the United States were documented in the 20th century, the most recent in 1976 in California. State records show the last anthrax case in Florida was in 1974.
Officials believe Stevens contracted anthrax naturally in Florida. The disease can be contracted from farm animals or soil, though the bacterium is not normally found among wildlife or livestock in the state. Stevens was described as an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing and gardening.
County medical examiners are looking over any unexplained deaths, but have not found any cases connected to anthrax. Veterinarians have been told to be on alert for animals who might have the disease, but none have turned up.
Health officials are checking intensive care units of area hospitals to check records going back 30 days for suspicious cases. They should be finished Monday, said O'Conner.
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Because this bacteria has a long incubation period, why not let the USPS distribute all over the country, huh. Just infect a few large regional distribution points and it could be spread all over the country by our own postal service.
So9
I thought they were swabbing everybody. He just happanned to be in the hospital? They haven't swabbed the entire staff yet?
I remember when we had a large sheep kill in Montana, or Utah, I think. Government lied repeatedly before finally taking responsibility. Oh well let's us move along, nothing to see here, just an unfortunate tragedy. This happened 30 or more years ago.
If this were true, why would they have not detected it immediately and closed the offices?
Apparently not. Most all the information so far comes from a press release issued by the Palm Beach County Emergency Center last night. Local news reported that employees who thought they had flu-like symptoms be tested for anthrax. I image by the end of the day, everyone is going to want a test however.
They are going to swab the entire staff... NOW. This guy checked himself into the hospital due to illness. What illness, we do not know. NOW, they plan on swabbing and giving anti-biotics to everybody else. So, whatever this guy is ill with, they wanted to take a culture from his nose, not as a grand thing, but just due to his illness in general.
Bet this AP update doesn't get the play it deserves. HE CHECKED HIMSELF IN. Wasn't CDC running routine tests on fellow employees.
Still not clear if they are confirming that the new patient has active anthrax (or what type if so) or whether they are just confiming the presence of anthrax bacteria from the nasal swab (which would be an indicator of pulmonary ["inhaled"] anthrax as I understand it).
And that explains why they would hit a Tabloid Publisher. No way the Government will be able to keep it quiet with those people involved. Whatever the story is, it will be front page of all three of their tabloids.
So9
If this had happened at any time before 9/11 the media would have immediately investigated any connections between this and the anthrax case. To this point I've not seen the two even closely related. Maybe if it seemed they were at least investigating, we wouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions.
Tommy Thompson didn´t even look like he was telling the truth. I said to my husband at the time "He is lying and he looks pretty uncomfortable about it"....
Well sense all the cases so far worked at a "newspaper", it could be ,if these people all worked the field, they may have gone to a common site doing a story and came in contact with anthrax there.
And considering a large troop of "Osama A hole's" were based in the local area it could have been an easy local story and they stumble on to a terrorists anthrax stores with out knowing it.
Anthrax is not contagious. Therefore, it doesn't spread to anyone. It's all about exposure to spores. So, the chances are 100% that if the exposure were to spores at the office, his coworkers would get it but not his family.
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