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General Anthrax Information

Link to Centers for Disease Control : http://www.bt.cdc.gov

Anthrax. (bacterial). Anthrax is difficult to make in particles small enough to cause serious illness. Additionally, the strain of anthrax that seems to be used in the Florida case is a milder form of the disease.

Anthrax often lives in persons who are not made sick by the germ. These are the people in the news who have "tested positive" for anthrax but are not ill.This disease cannot be transmitted between people. Antibiotics are used to prevent any types of anthrax infection after exposure. While not yet linked to terrorism, there are two types of infection caused by Anthrax that are currently being investigated:

Pulmonary

•  2-60 day incubation period
•  Non-specific flu-like symptoms with brief interim improvement
•  2-4 days after initial symptoms, abrupt onset of respiratory failure and circulatory collapse
•  Treatable in early stage before onset of respiratory collapse.

Cutaneous (skin)

• 1-7 day incubation period
• Local skin involvement after direct contact with organism
• Commonly seen on head, forearm or hands 
• Localized itching, followed by an inflamed lesion that turns into a serum-filled blister and within 2-6 days develops into a depressed, dry black scab.
• Usually non-fatal if treated with antibiotics

CDC recommends that physicians not prescribe antibiotics for anthrax as a preventitive measure. Using antibiotics unnecessarily keeps supplies from those who may truly need them, and contributes to the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Children may be harmed by medicines designed for adults, cipro, for example, is dangerous for use by children. The Federal Government has stockpiled enough antibiotics to prevent the disease in two million people. CDC is prepared to deliver preventative medicine quickly.

Additional anthrax info

How likely is it that someone would receive a harmful biological or chemical agent in the mail?

The Postal Service delivers approximately 208 billion pieces of mail per year. Presently, there have been a relatively small number of suspected incidents of anthrax bacteria being sent through the mail.

How often do these threats and hoaxes occur?

During FY 1999 and FY 2000, there were approximately 178 anthrax threats received at courthouses, reproductive health service providers (clinics offering abortion services or counseling), churches, schools, and post offices. During FY 2001 we have had only approximately 60 threats or hoaxes, which included anthrax, hoof and mouth disease, the Klingerman virus hoax, and others.

Chemical and biological weapons are sometimes referred to as the “poor man’s nuclear weapons” and pose a significant threat in the post-Cold War environment. The relative low cost and simplicity of design and technology make them weapons of choice for a variety of rogue states and terrorist and non-state organizations. Although acts of chemical and biological terrorism have not been prevalent in the U.S. up to now, use of these weapons or the threat of their use are disruptive forces.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been designated as the lead Federal Agency for crisis management in all acts of terrorism and uses or threats of harmful biological or chemical weapons.

What about nasal swabs or blood tests?

There are no quick screening tests for anthrax disease. Nasal swabs and blood serum tests will not tell you if you have been exposed to anthrax. Only people with anthrax-like symptoms should be further tested.

Is the water supply safe?

Unless you hear otherwise from a public health official, you should consider your domestic water supply safe. Domestic water supplies would be very hard to contaminate with biological agents. Municipal water supplies are protected by security measures which have been increased as the threat of terrorism has increased. The large volume of water contained in reservoirs make it unlikely that anyone would receive an infectious dose of a biological agent. Domestic water supplies are filtered and treated to remove or kill most disease-causing agents.

Is the food supply safe?

Commercially packaged foods are generally safe. They are processed in well-controlled conditions under the supervision of the company and government agencies in many instances. Packaging is designed to be tamper resistant?prepackaged foods you purchase from your grocery should also be considered safe.

What about unpackaged foods like fruits and vegetables?

 Again, these are processed and handled under controlled conditions. They should always be washed before being eaten, and that is the best protection against the unlikely event that someone would purposefully contaminate them.

Smallpox. (viral). Vaccination is not recommended and is not available to health providers or the public. “In the absence of a confirmed case anywhere in the world, there is no need to be vaccinated.” There can be serious side effects with this vaccine. In the event of an outbreak, CDC will provide vaccine, which has been securely stored. There are also plans underway to accelerate the production of a new vaccine. 

For more information:

http://www.bt.cdc.gov

http://www.hopkins-biodefense.org