Nationwise anthrax scare infects Yale

On Thurs., Oct. 4, Robert Stevens, a photo editor for the tabloid paper The Sun, was diagnosed with the first case of respiratory anthrax recorded in the U.S. since 1976. He died a day later.

GETTY IMAGES These letters, sent to NBC in New York and to Sen. Tom Daschle's office in Washington's D.C., contained anthrax.

While the potentially lethal biological warfare agent anthrax has thus far been unleashed on a handful on individuals far from the Elm City, the fear associated with the pathogen has already penetrated the Yale campus. University Health Services (UHS) reported that a "mini-epidemic of concerned parents" has tried to acquire antibiotics as a preventative measure.

"There has been a marked increase in requests for telephone prescriptions, but there have been no prescriptions issued from UHS because there has been no documented or even suspected exposure," Dr. Paul Gemecin, medical director of UHS, said.

AROUND THE NATION, ONLY SIX CASES OF INFEC-
tion have been diagnosed, and more than two dozen individuals have tested positive for anthrax exposure in Florida, New York, and Washington, D.C.

A variety of of packages containing a white powder sent to major media outlets and government offices are to blame for most of these infections. In light of Sept. 11, concern has arisen that the smattering of cases will rapidly develop into a full-scale bioterror campaign.

On Fri., Oct. 12, Connecticut State Police and Hartford police bomb squads responded to six calls—all for suspected anthrax exposure. None of the tests yielded positive results, but the threat of disease continued to resound.

Rumors of anthrax-laden packages in Morse and Jonathan Edwards drifted through campus this past weekend. "There have been rumors that a white powder was found in the courtyard and that the building was evacuated on Friday," Nicole Jabaily, JE '02, said. When asked about the scare, JE Master Frank Kyle replied, "I think it's a hoax. Nothing happened."

Mike Patten, a lieutenant with University police, confirmed that there has been a spike in calls regarding possible threats and that anxiety among students has increased.

THREE DISTINCT FORMS OF ANTHRAX ARE CAUSED by the bacterium bacillus anthracis. Cutaneous anthrax is contracted when bacteria enters the body through cuts or abrasions on the skin. Approximately 95 percent of reported anthrax cases are cutaneous, and about 2,000 cases are diagnosed annually worldwide. Obvious manifestations of the disease include the formation of a skin lesion, covered by a black scab, while symptoms include headaches, muscle aches, fever, nausea, and vomiting. If left untreated, there is a 20 percent mortality rate.

Respiratory anthrax is the rarest cause of human disease, with only 18 reported cases between 1900 and 1978. It is caused by the deposition of spore-bearing particles in the alveolar spaces of the lungs. The spores are then transported to the lymph nodes, where they germinate and multiply. Between 8,000 and 10,000 spores must be deposited for infection to occur. The illness is caused by the toxins released during bacterial replication. If left untreated, these toxins can cause hemorrhage, swelling, necrosis, and often death.

The third form of anthrax, and the least common, is gastrointestinal. This type of anthrax results from the ingestion of insufficiently cooked contaminated meat. Without proper antibiotic treatment, death results in 25 to 60 percent of cases.

While the the threat of widespread contamination remains a possibility, all three forms of the disease can be treated with antibiotics and none of them is contagious from human to human contact. Symptoms of the disease occur within 12 hours to five days of exposure.

THE FIRST DOCUMENTED USE OF THE DISEASE AS A weapon of war can be traced back to 1937, when Japan initiated a biological warfare program in Manchuria. The U.S. began to develop its own anthrax weapon arsenal in 1943.

However, the feasibility of anthrax as an effective weapon of biological warfare remains questionable. "Anthrax is not a good agent to weaponize," Dr. William Summers, professor of therapeutic radiology and microbiology, said. "It's very hard to disperse widely and effectively."

In addition to difficult dissemination of the bacteria, Summers notes that in order for anthrax to work effectively, it must be at the correct size and weight. As a result, the grinding process neccessary to achieve this size renders many bacteria innocuous.

Despite Summers' claims calling into question the effectiveness of anthrax as a weapon of biological warfare, recent reports of exposure have struck terror in the hearts of many.

"There is an enormous terror factor in bioterrorism," Gemecin said. "Fear of anthrax has afflicted people with tremendous anxiety and fear in numbers in excess of the number of people who have actually been infected with or exposed to the bacillus."

Summers maintains that Yale students have nothing to fear at this point in time. "During the anthrax accident in the Soviet Union in 1979, all casualties were old people," he said. "Anyone under 25 survived. In my point of view, the Yale [undergraduates are] safe because they are young, healthy people."

IN ORDER TO ALLAY FEARS, THE YALE COMMUNITY, including employees of the post office, have taken a number of precautionary measures to keep students and staff safe. Linda Koch Lorimer, vice president and secretary of the University, recently sent out a mass e-mail advising staff and students to take particular care when handling mail. UHS released a statement that confirmed the existence of an emergency preparedness plan at UHS and Yale-New Haven Hospital. UHS describes the plan as "robust" and is confident with the ability of its physicians to diagnose, treat, and contain an anthrax outbreak if need be.

University President Richard Levin, GRD '74, said, "We have pretty well-developed contigency plans for all types of possibilities and we have certainly gone back and reviewed those plans. We're getting information to the ncessary people to make sure we're in a position to respond appropriately.

And despite all of this, Gemecin identifies smallpox as a greater threat to the public than anthrax. "There is no immunity to smallpox in our population," he said. "It's a sobering thought. An epidemic of smallpox would very likely carry with it tremendous case fatality."

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