Health Choice Update - BioTerrorism
Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2001 3:49 am
BE ALERT, LOCAL HEALTH WORKERS URGED
Date: September 22, 2001
Dr. David P. Goldman, Director of the Rappahannock Area Health District,
discusses various bioterrorism concerns yesterday.
Read article below or click this link:
http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/ ... /printer_f
riendly#
No one knows how real the threat of a chemical or biological attack is,
especially
after last week's terrorist strikes against the United States.
But Dr. David P. Goldman, Director of the Rappahannock Area Health District,
wants area medical providers to be prepared.
He spoke to a group of about 30 health-care professionals yesterday at Mary
Washington Hospital.
"In light of what happened last week, there's no way I'm going to
say it couldn't happen," Goldman said. "I think it's a possibility. If I
didn't, I wouldn't
be giving these talks." Goldman is a member of the State Health Department's
Terrorism Task Force.
Formed in October 1998, its job is to plan a response to a terrorist
incident
involving biological or chemical agents.
The task force, using guidelines from the Federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention,
has developed a method to query hospital workers about patients with
symptoms
that could indicate they are victims of biological warfare, said Dr. Robert
Stroube,
Virginia's Deputy Health Commissioner.
"We're looking for people who show up in emergency rooms with unexplained
fevers, encephalitis or meningitis flu symptoms," Stroube said in a
telephone
interview yesterday.
Within an hour after the second plane hit the World Trade Center, Stroube
said he sent
canvassers to hospitals in the Northern Virginia area who inquire daily
about the number
and type of unexplained or suspicious symptoms.
Hospitals outside the Washington metropolitan area,including Mary
Washington,
are being asked to provide the same information to the health department.
The Fredericksburg Hospital kept watch for unexplained symptoms this summer
when the
health department was testing its biological warfare surveillance system
during
the National Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill.
Normally, hospitals are only required to report certain ailments, such as
meningitis.
That's what Goldman was originally scheduled to talk about at Mary
Washington yesterday.
Goldman decided to use the opportunity to make sure local doctors are aware
of
what diseases such as anthrax and smallpox look like and are on the lookout
for them.
Anthrax bacteria causes black skin ulcers; smallpox is a virus characterized
by vomiting,
fever and skin blisters.
While results of a chemical strike, with nerve gases that attack the central
nervous system,
would be quickly apparent, results of biological warfare would be less
obvious--at least at first.
Symptoms for anthrax and smallpox will at first resemble those of a common
flu or stomach ailment,
Goldman said--symptoms such as fever, cough, backpain, vomiting, general
malaise.
"If someone comes to you with these symptoms in December through March in
Virginia,
they'll likely leave with reassurance, perhaps an antibiotic," he said.
"They may even have a short period of recovery. But when they come back,
they will be
very sick, and by that time, it may be too late."
In biological warfare, there would likely be deaths before medical
professionals even
realize there's been an attack.
"The first 10, or even several dozen, may go home and be casualties,"
Goldman said.
"But we will recognize they have been victims and can treat the next wave of
people."
And most diseases, with the exception of Ebola, can be treated relatively
well if they
are caught early. That's where Goldman stresses the importance of doctors
reporting
anything strange to the health department. "Each of you seeing one or two
people with
unusual symptoms might not mean anything to the individual practitioner," he
said. "But if
we at the health department have the information, we can find out there are
10 cases of
something in the community. You can help us be alert to the fact that
something is going on."
Clues that may signal bioterrorism include:
Higher-than-usual death rate for a common disease or failure of patients to
respond
to traditional treatments, suggesting the possibility of hybrid organisms
resistant to treatment.
Many sick people seeking treatment at the same time.
An unusual pattern of death or illness in animals preceding or accompanying
illness and death
in humans.
Diseases with an unusual geographic or seasonal distribution, such as an
outbreak of influenza in the summer.
An illness that is unusual for a given population or age group, such as
chicken pox in adults.
Local doctors seemed interested, but not surprised or alarmed by Goldman's
presentation.
"We still have a lot to learn," Goldman said. "I think last week is an
example where
something will happen that had been previously unimaginable, but you learn
from it."
But that doesn't mean people should lock themselves in their houses with gas
masks.
Goldman said his office has received two inquiries since the Sept. 11
attacks about what
might be the best gas mask to buy. He said his office does not dispense
that kind of advice.
"I think the president's point the last 10 days is that we certainly want to
be cautious
and prudent," he said. "A lot of terrorism is psychological--striking fear
into
people's hearts. We don't want to run around like Chicken Little, but we
want to be prepared."
--Staff writer Ruth Finch contributed to this report.
Copyright 2001 The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Most people, sometime in their lives, stumble across truth.
And most jump up, brush themselves off, and hurry on about
their business as if nothing had happened."
--Sir Winston Churchill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Date: September 22, 2001
Dr. David P. Goldman, Director of the Rappahannock Area Health District,
discusses various bioterrorism concerns yesterday.
Read article below or click this link:
http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/ ... /printer_f
riendly#
No one knows how real the threat of a chemical or biological attack is,
especially
after last week's terrorist strikes against the United States.
But Dr. David P. Goldman, Director of the Rappahannock Area Health District,
wants area medical providers to be prepared.
He spoke to a group of about 30 health-care professionals yesterday at Mary
Washington Hospital.
"In light of what happened last week, there's no way I'm going to
say it couldn't happen," Goldman said. "I think it's a possibility. If I
didn't, I wouldn't
be giving these talks." Goldman is a member of the State Health Department's
Terrorism Task Force.
Formed in October 1998, its job is to plan a response to a terrorist
incident
involving biological or chemical agents.
The task force, using guidelines from the Federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention,
has developed a method to query hospital workers about patients with
symptoms
that could indicate they are victims of biological warfare, said Dr. Robert
Stroube,
Virginia's Deputy Health Commissioner.
"We're looking for people who show up in emergency rooms with unexplained
fevers, encephalitis or meningitis flu symptoms," Stroube said in a
telephone
interview yesterday.
Within an hour after the second plane hit the World Trade Center, Stroube
said he sent
canvassers to hospitals in the Northern Virginia area who inquire daily
about the number
and type of unexplained or suspicious symptoms.
Hospitals outside the Washington metropolitan area,including Mary
Washington,
are being asked to provide the same information to the health department.
The Fredericksburg Hospital kept watch for unexplained symptoms this summer
when the
health department was testing its biological warfare surveillance system
during
the National Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill.
Normally, hospitals are only required to report certain ailments, such as
meningitis.
That's what Goldman was originally scheduled to talk about at Mary
Washington yesterday.
Goldman decided to use the opportunity to make sure local doctors are aware
of
what diseases such as anthrax and smallpox look like and are on the lookout
for them.
Anthrax bacteria causes black skin ulcers; smallpox is a virus characterized
by vomiting,
fever and skin blisters.
While results of a chemical strike, with nerve gases that attack the central
nervous system,
would be quickly apparent, results of biological warfare would be less
obvious--at least at first.
Symptoms for anthrax and smallpox will at first resemble those of a common
flu or stomach ailment,
Goldman said--symptoms such as fever, cough, backpain, vomiting, general
malaise.
"If someone comes to you with these symptoms in December through March in
Virginia,
they'll likely leave with reassurance, perhaps an antibiotic," he said.
"They may even have a short period of recovery. But when they come back,
they will be
very sick, and by that time, it may be too late."
In biological warfare, there would likely be deaths before medical
professionals even
realize there's been an attack.
"The first 10, or even several dozen, may go home and be casualties,"
Goldman said.
"But we will recognize they have been victims and can treat the next wave of
people."
And most diseases, with the exception of Ebola, can be treated relatively
well if they
are caught early. That's where Goldman stresses the importance of doctors
reporting
anything strange to the health department. "Each of you seeing one or two
people with
unusual symptoms might not mean anything to the individual practitioner," he
said. "But if
we at the health department have the information, we can find out there are
10 cases of
something in the community. You can help us be alert to the fact that
something is going on."
Clues that may signal bioterrorism include:
Higher-than-usual death rate for a common disease or failure of patients to
respond
to traditional treatments, suggesting the possibility of hybrid organisms
resistant to treatment.
Many sick people seeking treatment at the same time.
An unusual pattern of death or illness in animals preceding or accompanying
illness and death
in humans.
Diseases with an unusual geographic or seasonal distribution, such as an
outbreak of influenza in the summer.
An illness that is unusual for a given population or age group, such as
chicken pox in adults.
Local doctors seemed interested, but not surprised or alarmed by Goldman's
presentation.
"We still have a lot to learn," Goldman said. "I think last week is an
example where
something will happen that had been previously unimaginable, but you learn
from it."
But that doesn't mean people should lock themselves in their houses with gas
masks.
Goldman said his office has received two inquiries since the Sept. 11
attacks about what
might be the best gas mask to buy. He said his office does not dispense
that kind of advice.
"I think the president's point the last 10 days is that we certainly want to
be cautious
and prudent," he said. "A lot of terrorism is psychological--striking fear
into
people's hearts. We don't want to run around like Chicken Little, but we
want to be prepared."
--Staff writer Ruth Finch contributed to this report.
Copyright 2001 The Free Lance-Star Publishing Company.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Most people, sometime in their lives, stumble across truth.
And most jump up, brush themselves off, and hurry on about
their business as if nothing had happened."
--Sir Winston Churchill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]