ANTHRAX IN CONNECTICUT

none yet ^

[RaceBannon]

Just broke in to the news now!!!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[George from New England]

I suppose all gun clubs are under suspicion now.

[michaelje]

Race-

Thanks for the bump I have family all over CT.

[newzjunkey]

Reading through this thread... it's pretty damned disturbing she came to them on Wednesday (is that confirmed?) and they didn't think to test for anthrax until SUNDAY!! Sure she's not a 'likely' victim based on passed incidents but come on now!

[Freedom of Speech Wins]

Interesting theory, scary.

[Freedom of Speech Wins]

interesting theory.

[teresat]

Now why would a gun club target a 94yr old lady? What if there was some link between where the islamic militants trained in Connecticut and the Oxford area? It would be nice if there was some way to prove that the anthrax was from islamic militants as opposed to the medias cry of it being from a domestic group.

[rebdov]

I do not know what tests are needed to make the preliminary diagnosis. But since most hospital labs have not had a demand in the past to do the testing it would not surprise me if they messed up. I know from personal experience, and I'll bet there are plenty of Freepers who have shared the experience, that labs have messed up routine tests. I am talking about the kind they do thousands of daily. The techs are under a lot of pressure for volume production. Quality control in labs is not as good as we would expect. Whenever results come back that are not near the expected numbers, my doctors run the tests again. SOmetimes they have changed labs to run a second time just to be sure that numbers are valid.

[RummyChick]

I am not sure the FBI will think of that :-) I think you should send an email to a few people. It would explain how this woman got it versus the idea that the Wiccans are after her.

[RaceBannon]

No, it was Blue Trail Gun range in Wallingford. Been there!

[maestro]

Oxford, CT., lady, 94 years old.
Work History: did she work in any 'labs' around the old/new world, during WW-I , WW-II,...later??
Other 'Government' work if any??

[FR_addict]

Is the wool irradiated before or after the sweaters are made in China, Honduras, and India?

I don't know. I tried to find more info below.

Anthrax is very rare in the United States and in other countries where animals are inspected before and after slaughter.

Sterilise wool, hair, hides and other infected products by ethylene oxide gas or ionising (gamma) radiation.

Meanwhile the first commercial irradiator was used in the 1960s to kill any lingering anthrax germs in lambs wool sweaters.

Didn't really find an answer to your question nor did I confirm that irradiation is always in use.

[teresat]

Are you sure? I could swear the Hartford Courant had some story on Bin Laden or people associated with the first world trade center bombing a couple years ago and I don't think it mentioned Wallingford as where they were training. Do you have a link to the info?

[drjoe]

It is certainly possible that anthrax cases have been missed in the past but I don't think that this is a reasonable explanation for these cases. While it would not be likely that an old lady dying of pneumonia would trigger an autopsy by a coroner or medical examiner, it is likely that for every person dying unattended at home many more would be admitted to a hospital for their terminal illness. Probably, in the United States, more dying in a hospital than dying at home. If indeed they made it to the hospital, then they would, as in the case in New York and - presumably - this case would have had a culture. While not making a definitive diagnosis from a culture or sputum gram stain, the finding of bacilli and not the far more common cocci would set off alarm bells. As a pathologist practicing for over thirty years in the northeast - both as a hospital pathologist and forensic pathologist I have seen a grand total of ZERO cases of clinical anthrax. This applies to cases diagnosed premortem and cases of unexplained deaths referred to the medical examiner for autopsy and definitive diagnosis. Zero, zip, zilch. I do not think, therefor, that we are now seeing cases that have been previously overlooked.

[nutmeg]

Thanks for the ping. Saw Gov. Rowland on CNN tonight speaking about this (LIVE at around 10:15PM).

[Victoria Delsoul]

Thanks for the links, SOT.

Bump!

[Koblenz]

While many old people get actual social security checks instead of direct deposits, I would imagine that they would come from regional offices instead of all being mailed out from one place. Direct Deposit has been unpopular with many seniors, since going to the bank on whatever day of the month to deposit the check was a very popular activity.

[Koblenz]

Thanks for the sequence. I'm guessing flu and someone with an active imagination or need for publicity...unless she is Senator Dodd's mother.

Ever read the Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth? Great book. Anyway, Ukranian freedom fighters figure they can get the head of the KGB by first running over his mom. Then she goes to the hospital, and they shoot the KGB head when he visits the hospital...

[atafak]

For $60 one can take a twenty minute ride in an open cockpit plane (1941 Stearman Bi-Plane) from the Oxford Airport.

[johnny7]

I had ondition once. It was spooky!

Then I had a flat tire at the airport and they moved me to first class.

Spooky 2. Ondition is a real pisser if you don't catch it quick.

Take a lot of water and pee.