ANTHRAX - CDC revises its treatment guidelines

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So, whatcha gonna stockpile now??

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/299/nation/US_revises_its_treatment_guidelines%2b.shtml

US revises its treatment guidelines

By Associated Press, 10/26/2001

ATLANTA - The federal government yesterday issued specific guidelines for fighting anthrax, recommending that inhalation cases be treated with drug combinations and not just the sought-after antibiotic Cipro.

But the Centers for Disease Control, which scrambled to publish the guidelines as the nation's bioterrorism toll mounted, warned that there are no human studies to back up the recommendations.

The guidelines apply only to confirmed cases of anthrax, not to those of possible exposure.

The CDC advised doctors to treat inhaled anthrax - the deadliest form - with a 60-day regimen starting with intravenous doses of Cipro or doxycycline, supplemented by one or two of seven additional drugs.

The additional drugs include rifampin, commonly used to treat tuberculosis, and penicillin. Drugs widely used to combat staphylococcus and other respiratory infections also were on the list.

The treatment guidelines were issued in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the health bulletin that clinicians nationwide examine for details on outbreak investigations and guidelines for preventing disease.

''This is the first bioterrorism-related anthrax attack in the United States, and the public health ramifications of this attack continue to evolve,'' the bulletin cautioned.

For cases of cutaneous anthrax, the skin form of the disease, the CDC also recommended 60 days of treatment with Cipro or doxycycline, but said the additional drugs are not necessary.

The same drugs are recommended for treating anthrax in adults and children, the agency said, with much smaller doses for children.

The CDC acknowledged that some of the drugs may cause problems for pregnant women, but the agency did not alter the recommendations.

It said the high death rate for inhalation anthrax far outweighs the risk associated with drugs to treat it.

-- Anonymous, October 26, 2001

Answers

there are people at work who are allergic to many different drugs. A couple women I work with have medical conditions that preventthem from taking the Cipro, so they called their doctors to see what they should take if they become contaminated/exposed. Doctors took a while to make a determination, but finally they came up with a list of meds that won't kill them.

If anyone has any medical allergies, or conditions that might interfere with taking 'anti-anthrax' meds, find out what to do now. If you get exposed, or come down with it, it may be too late to research by then.

[I am not a doctor, and I do not play one on tv, but I may play one if my partner is interested. I am thinking of practicing amputation procedures after last night.]

-- Anonymous, October 26, 2001


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