Tommy Thomson has admitted that another case of anthrax has been discovered in Florida. it is the airborn type.

He says the government is doing every thing it can to prepare in case of an outbreak.

-- Cherri (jessam6@home.com), October 08, 2001

Answers

Source?

-- Can't believe (everything@you.read), October 08, 2001.

I was watching C-Span. I've looked elsewhere but haven't seen any other report.

-- Cherri (jessam6@home.com), October 08, 2001.

From thr Free Republic forums:

BREAKING: SECOND POSITIVE TEST FOR ANTHRAX

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3bc142587da3.htm

-- thisisnotgood (here@it.comes), October 08, 2001.

"He says the government is doing every thing it can to prepare in case of an outbreak."

Oh really? And what might "He say" that could be, placing an order for 200 million body bags?

Since the government took over the only vaccine factory in the country and turned that into another corrupt scam, there isn't even enough vaccine for one major city. They've known that anthrax could be used as a weapon against us for decades, yet they don't have any detection systems set up and they've made it illegal to import gas masks into this country. Sheesh, I realize this sounds paranoid, but why do I get the impression our government doesn't care if we end up dead?

Now, we have this joker telling us they are doing "everything they can"!!

LOL!

-- (fuck@the.government), October 08, 2001.

Confirmed by AP here:

Officials: Tests Show Presence of Anthrax in Second Florida Man

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGAGRB7VJSC.html

-- uh-oh (not@looking.good), October 08, 2001.

http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/10/08/florida.anthrax.case/index.html

-- (kreiger9@hotmail.com), October 08, 2001.

---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGAGRB7VJSC.html

Officials: Tests Show Presence of Anthrax in Second Florida Man By Amanda Riddle Associated Press Writer Published: Oct 8, 2001

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) - Preliminary tests show the presence of anthrax in a second Florida man, but it was not yet clear if he has a full-blown case of the disease that killed one of his co-workers last week, officials said early Monday. A nasal swab from the man, whose name was not immediately made public, tested positive for the bacteria that causes anthrax, said Tim O'Conner, regional spokesman for the Florida Department of Health.

O'Conner said he couldn't say that the second case was related to terrorism.

"That would take a turn in the investigation," said O'Conner. "It's a different aspect, we were thinking more of environmental" sources.

"We did get a positive nasal sample from a person who is a person who worked with the person who died," of anthrax, confirmed Barbara Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The second man was in stable condition at an unidentified hospital, according to a statement issued late Sunday night by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Authorities in North Carolina also have looking for possible sources of anthrax since last week, when Bob Stevens, who worked at the supermarket tabloid the Sun, was confirmed to be suffering from anthrax. Stevens, of Lantana, Fla., died of the disease on Friday.

Stevens, the first person in 25 years in the United States to catch a case of the rare and deadly inhalation form of anthrax, had recently visited North Carolina.

It was unclear when the final tests would tell whether or not the second man has anthrax. The bacteria 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 Reynolds said in a telephone interview from Atlanta. "I realize for the public this is going to be a very slight distinction."

In addition, environmental tests performed at the Sun's offices in Boca Raton have detected the anthrax bacteria, said O'Conner, who was reading from a statement he said would be made public later Monday by Florida Secretary of Health John Agwunobi.

The Sun's offices have been closed off and law enforcement, local and state health and CDC officials were to take additional samples from the building later Monday, O'Conner said.

The FBI was helping in the search for the source of the bacteria, said Miami FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela.

Employees at the newspaper would not be going to work Monday, O'Conner said.

He said about 300 people who work in the building are being contacted by the Sun and instructed to undergo antibiotic treatment to prevent the disease.

But "the current risk of anthrax is extremely low," O'Conner said.

People who have just been visitors to the building, he said, should not seek antibiotic treatment.

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, declined comment early Monday.

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. ^---

On the Net:

CDC: www.bt.cdc.gov/Agent/Anthrax/Anthrax.asp

AP-ES-10-08-01 0205EDT

-- (righthere@right.now), October 08, 2001.

Officials: Tests Show Presence of Anthrax in Second Florida Man
By Amanda Riddle
Associated Press Writer- Oct 8, 2001-BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) - Preliminary tests show the presence of anthrax in a second Florida man, but it was not yet clear if he has a full-blown case of the disease that killed one of his co-workers last week, officials said early Monday.

A nasal swab from the man, whose name was not immediately made public, tested positive for the bacteria that causes anthrax, said Tim O'Conner, regional spokesman for the Florida Department of Health.

O'Conner said he couldn't say that the second case was related to terrorism.

"That would take a turn in the investigation," said O'Conner. "It's a different aspect, we were thinking more of environmental" sources.

"We did get a positive nasal sample from a person who is a person who worked with the person who died," of anthrax, confirmed Barbara Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The second man was in stable condition at an unidentified hospital, according to a statement issued late Sunday night by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Authorities in North Carolina also have looking for possible sources of anthrax since last week, when Bob Stevens, who worked at the supermarket tabloid the Sun, was confirmed to be suffering from anthrax. Stevens, of Lantana, Fla., died of the disease on Friday.

Stevens, the first person in 25 years in the United States to catch a case of the rare and deadly inhalation form of anthrax, had recently visited North Carolina.

It was unclear when the final tests would tell whether or not the second man has anthrax. The bacteria 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 Reynolds said in a telephone interview from Atlanta. "I realize for the public this is going to be a very slight distinction."

In addition, environmental tests performed at the Sun's offices in Boca Raton have detected the anthrax bacteria, said O'Conner, who was reading from a statement he said would be made public later Monday by Florida Secretary of Health John Agwunobi.

The Sun's offices have been closed off and law enforcement, local and state health and CDC officials were to take additional samples from the building later Monday, O'Conner said.

The FBI was helping in the search for the source of the bacteria, said Miami FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela.

Employees at the newspaper would not be going to work Monday, O'Conner said.

He said about 300 people who work in the building are being contacted by the Sun and instructed to undergo antibiotic treatment to prevent the disease.

But "the current risk of anthrax is extremely low," O'Conner said.

People who have just been visitors to the building, he said, should not seek antibiotic treatment.

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, declined comment early Monday.

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.

On the Net:

CDC: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/Agent/Anthrax/Anthrax.asp

-- Cherri (jessam6@home.com), October 08, 2001.

If he said that, he is wrong; at least based on the information I have seen from the CDC and Florida health officials.

Now that may turn out to be true, but I still haven't seen the information. I wish the press would learn a little microbiology. :)

Best Wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), October 08, 2001.

Z, you said:

>>If he said that, he is wrong<<

Who said what? I'm a little unclear to whom you are referring.

Regards

JC

-- Johnny Canuck (j_canuck@hotmail.com), October 08, 2001.

JC:

Cherri quoted the Secretary of Health. The press report, once again, confuses the presence of the organism and the disease (anthrax). We have been through this discussion before.

Based on the last fax that I got from Atlanta, the disease had not been diagnosed as such. Hence, just the organism is present. Most people exposed to the organism don't contract the disease. In addition, the report is that the organism isolated from the man that died lacked amp resistance. Wonder where that came from? They were supposed to have a news conference today; alas, I am now home sick and didn't get to hear it. No it is not anthrax.:))

Best Wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), October 08, 2001.

Z,

"In addition, the report is that the organism isolated from the man that died lacked amp resistance."

Howzabout translating that for mere mortals?

-- flora (***@__._), October 08, 2001.

Alas, please ignore Z, he is just being his usual self, a pompous ass.

-- (he suffers @ delusions. of grandeur), October 08, 2001.

gee Z, I hope you don't have anthrax.

-- (Osama@martyr's.crater), October 09, 2001.

How many volts does it take to tell if an organism doesn't have amp resistance?

-- Engineer (all@is.futile), October 09, 2001.

Hello Flora:

I was referring to resistance to the "cillin" [beta-lactam] antibiotics. There are a number of mechanisms for resistance. This strain was reported to be sensitive. My lab works mostly with Gram-negative soil bacteria but we have done some things with Bacillus species other than the one that causes anthrax.

In my experience, most of the G-n isolates that we get from nature carry resistance. It is due to a gene on a promiscuous plasmid. The Gram-positive organisms that we have isolated from the soil are also resistant; I don't know the nature of the resistance in that case. amp refers to the gene conferring resistance. Of course this could be a natural strain that lacks resistance. It would be unusual in an engineered strain although I could think of reasons for doing it.

Hope that helps. Pardon any mistakes in spelling; I am busy incubating a virus. :)

Best Wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), October 09, 2001.

I have been in contact with my client, American Media. She advised me that the media coverage of this is completely exaggerated. She has been in the Media for 30 years and says that for the first time she is ASHAMED to be part of the media. This is pretty severe coming from somone who publishes the National Enquirer.

I say wait until the tests are all complete before coming to conclusions.

By the way, is it possible that the internet hoax "Klingerman Virus" somehow ended up being involved in the idea that a powdery substance came in the mail?

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), October 09, 2001.

Yeah, but, don't hysterical people always hysterical over everything?

We may discover people dying of anthrax because we're looking for it. Until recently hospitals and ME's probably had cases of it, but wrote it off as pneumonia, or whatever, because they weren't thinking about it.

The same thing happened with AIDs. A lot of people were misdiagnosed in the beginning because doctors didn't know what they were looking at.

-- (LadyLogic@.....), October 09, 2001.

Z:

Q1 - To really test for the presence of anthrax bacteria, how can a nasal swab possibly determine that it's not present? Wouldn't this be like looking for your car keys in your pocket and then saying "I've searched the whole house and can't find them!" ?

Q2 - Is it possible that a lot of us would show the presence of anthrax bacteria if tested? Maybe we would, and it's just not anywhere near a high enough concentration to do any harm. Make any sense? Just speculating - as most of us have e-coli in our intestines and cancerous cells in our bodies, too.

Q3 - I read a statement that garlic is nature's best broad-spectrum antibiotic because it kills both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Does this pass your BS detector?

So many questions, such a big internet, so many empty brain cells to fill. ;-)

-- Debbie (dbspence@pobox.com), October 09, 2001.

"She advised me that the media coverage of this is completely exaggerated."

I bet she would feel differently if it turned out that she was infected.

-- Bob Stevens (I'm dead @ see you. in Hell), October 09, 2001.