Originally Ripped off from 2B2K

http://www.cnn.com/

CDC confirms New Jersey postal worker has inhalation anthrax. And:

Health officials confirm inhalation anthrax in Hamilton postal worker By RALPH SIEGEL

The Associated Press

10/28/01 4:46 PM

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- State health department officials Sunday said one of two female postal workers with a serious respiratory illness has been confirmed as a case of inhalation anthrax. A second worker remains hospitalized and is classified as a "suspected case" based on preliminary tests.

Health department spokeswoman Laura Otterbourg said the postal worker with the confirmed case is improving.

Two other postal workers at the Hamilton regional processing center plus a letter carrier who worked in nearby Ewing are being successfully treated for confirmed or suspected cases of skin anthrax.

The Hamilton office, which handles mail from 46 local post offices in central New Jersey, processed at least three anthrax-laced letters addressed to NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and the New York Post. State officials believe the mail handler with the confirmed case was infected by the Daschle letter.

The fear of anthrax went public in New Jersey Sunday as the first testing and antibiotic treatment was provided for private citizens employed as mail couriers who routinely entered the nonpublic area of the contaminated post office in Hamilton.

Until now, fear about anthrax has been limited to postal workers, emergency personnel and the staffs of news media or government offices targeted by tainted letters.

Private mail couriers enter the Hamilton facility on a regular basis to drop off or pick up mail for large businesses. Public areas used by ordinary customers have tested negative for anthrax.

But 19 of 59 test sites were positive for anthrax inside the massive mail-processing area, which receives letters and packages from parts of seven counties.

Yet the turnout was light by midday Sunday at St. Francis Medical Center for free testing and antibiotics, with scores of volunteers standing by but only a trickle of patients.

This prompted Otterbourg to reiterate the state's call that couriers and private mail-handling contractors who went to the Hamilton facility, which would cover at least 600 people, should be tested and must begin precautionary treatment with the antibiotic Cipro.

Otterbourg said the light turnout at the free clinic may mean most of these people are seeking treatment with their private doctors.

City officials said a Trenton firefighter hospitalized Saturday as a precaution against anthrax exposure is not actually ill and to their knowledge had not been in contact with an anthrax contamination site.

Mayor Doug Palmer said doctors were initially concerned about questionable chest X-rays and other test results that may have more to do with the firefighter's chronic bronchitis than with any biological weapon.

Jacob Eapen, an aide to Palmer, said the firefighter, a man in his 40s, was up and about at Capital Health at Fuld Hospital, where he was receiving antibiotics and was being tested regularly. He said tests for anthrax exposure or infection were expected by Tuesday.

City fire director Dennis Keenan said dozens of city firefighters received preliminary tests for anthrax exposure and the test on this one firefighter came back positive for some type of infection.

"He had no symptoms, really," said Keenan, adding the firefighter had reported for duty and was told to report to the hospital instead. "I am confident he is going to be fine, even if he does have anthrax, because he is being treated right now," Keenan said.

Palmer said three dozen more police officers and city mailroom workers were tested Saturday and Sunday at Fuld hospital. "All of the people there were in good spirits, talking about football, talking about their families," the mayor said.

But Palmer said he was unhappy it took a week for lab results to come back for a post office in downtown Trenton around the corner from city hall where federal agents and firefighters in hazardous material suits conducted tests last Sunday.

Palmer said he learned Saturday tests for the downtown post office were negative for anthrax but that the facility had remained open last week and people were anxious about it. He said he wants two other post offices in the city tested.

-- Anonymous, October 28, 2001

Answers

Bump. I think we'll see some post offices not opening their doors tomorrow.

-- Anonymous, October 28, 2001

One of the earlier anthrax articles I posted said that the incubation period was anywhere from a couple of days to two months. I don't know why there should be such a difference--perhaps factors are age and health condition. I also don't know the average or median onset. If those letters were postmarked September 18 and--what was it?--October 8, then we may be seeing new cases all the way up to December 8.

-- Anonymous, October 28, 2001

Oh, I expect there will be new cases even after that.

On a personal note, I just received what passes for the "family newsletter" online. The decision has been made to send holiday greetings via email only and to curtail "drawing names" this year so there is no need to mail packages. There won't be any "large" get- togethers. Relatives living close by each other will work out their own arrangements.

I wonder how many other families are following suit?

-- Anonymous, October 28, 2001

The wide variations in the presentation of symptoms of the disease from the time of exposure has to do a lot with how many spores are inhaled (in the case of the inhalation infections) and how deeply into the lungs they are inhaled. The thing they are not talking about is how they "colonize". I keep hearing them talk about finding "colonies", which indicates to me that they are in a site and multiplying. This is scary!!!

-- Anonymous, October 28, 2001

Sorry, should have said, IF there are no new mailings after that.

Yes, "colonize" means taking over and growing to me too.

-- Anonymous, October 28, 2001