11 rushed to hospital after anthrax scare

[Guest guest]

Quote:

" He said although there was no specific vaccine for anthrax, those who had

been hospitalised should not have any fears as " anthrax is easily treated with a

variety of antibiotics " .

http://www.pretorianews.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3921939

11 rushed to hospital after anthrax scare

Photo: INLSA

July 07, 2007 Edition 1

Schmidt and Sapa

Eleven people were rushed to hospital yesterday after coming into contact with

a package filled with a white powder, which was suspected of being anthrax.

If not treated, exposure to anthrax can be fatal - as happened in the United

States in 2001 when five people died and 17 others were infected when they came

into contact with powder anthrax posted in the wake of the 9/11 attack on the

Twin Towers in New York.

Inspector ita Kilian said police had received a complaint from the post

office at Mall in Randhart concerning a " suspicious " parcel.

Police immediately evacuated and cordoned off the area around the post office,

he said.

" They opened the envelope and saw white powder.

" At this stage we cannot confirm that the contents were anthrax, " said Kilian.

Eleven post office staff, police and members of the public were decontaminated

at the scene and taken to hospital.

Last night, Kilian said all of those hospitalised had been medicated and held

briefly for observation before being discharged.

The parcel was sealed by the Bomb Disposal Unit and taken to the State

veterinary laboratory at Onderstepoort, north of Pretoria, for forensic testing.

Kilian said it would take about seven days to determine if the substance was

anthrax.

" We do not know where the parcel came from, " said Kilian.

Professor Barry Schoub of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases

east of Johannesburg - which keeps cultures of the world's deadliest viruses,

including Ebola, Marburg and anthrax in its high-security laboratories - said

there was no need to panic.

He said although there was no specific vaccine for anthrax, those who had been

hospitalised should not have any fears as " anthrax is easily treated with a

variety of antibiotics " .

In 2001, a week after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and

the Pentagon, seven anthrax-contaminated letters were sent to five media outlets

in New York City - ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, the New York Post, the National

Inquirer - and two Democratic Party senators in Washington DC, Tom Daschle and

Leahy.

Only four actual letters were found: the existence of the others was inferred

from the pattern of infection that left five people dead - a journalist, two

mail workers and two women whose connection to the presumed letters was not

established - and 17 others infected.

The letters to the senators contained sheets of paper on which was written the

slogan " Death to America. Death to Israel. Allah is great. "

The terror campaign provoked a nationwide scare, but although authorities

offered rewards of $2.5 million for information leading to the arrest of

suspects, and also interviewed more than 9 100 people on six continents, the

case remains unsolved.

Randi J. Airola, © 517-819-5926

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