|
PBS
on Biological and Chemical Warfare including Anthrax, Ebola Smallpox, Plague, Botulism, etc.
Anthrax
The
1979 Anthrax Leak in Sverdlovsk "... On
April 2, 1979, there was an unusual anthrax
outbreak which affected 94 people and killed at
least 64 of them in the Soviet city of Sverdlovsk
(now called Ekaterinburg), roughly 850 miles east
of Moscow. The first victim died after four days;
the last one died six weeks later. The Soviet
government claimed the deaths were caused by
intestinal anthrax from tainted meat, a story some
influential American scientists found believable.
However, officials in the Carter administration
suspected the outbreak was caused by an accidental
release of anthrax spores from a suspected Soviet
biological weapons facility located in the
city.... " CLICK
HERE for rest of story
Anthrax
Immunization Program by the Department of Defense
- Anthrax is
produced by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis.
A tough protective coat allows the bacteria to
survive for decades as spores.
- Anthrax is
dangerous because, it is:
- Highly
lethal
- One of the
easiest biological agents to manufacture
- Relatively
easy to develop as a weapon
- Easily
spread in the air over a large area
- Easily
stored and dangerous for a long period
- Three types of
Anthrax infection:
- Cutaneous
Anthrax - primarily involving the
skin,caused by contact with infected
animals or contaminated animal products.
- Gastrointestinal
Anthrax - caused by eating of
contaminated meat.
- Inhalation
Anthrax - caused by inhaling anthrax
spores **MOST DEADLY - BIGGEST THREAT**
Click
Here for More Information on Anthrax from the
Department of Defense
OSHA
Fact Sheet and References on Worker Health and
Safety for Anthrax Exposure
University
of Wisconsin Lecture on Anthrax
From the
Centers for Disease control: Anthrax
The following
documents have been developed to provide
information pertaining to Anthrax that will help
private and public healthcare providers develop
plans to prepare for and respond to acts of bio-terrorism.
The documents are broken into the following
categories:
1. Agent Information - this information is
intended for the healthcare provider (private and
public) and includes details about the disease,
recommended treatment, and specific issues
relating to recognizing Anthrax in emergency
departments.
Update:
Florida Anthrax Case, October 7, 2001
Update:
Florida Anthrax Case, October 4, 2001
FactSheet
General
Agent Information
Medical
Information
USAMRIID
Site
Johns
Hopkins Universiy - Center for Civilian
biotdefense Studies
Surveillance
Case Definitions
Related
Sites
2. Clinical
Level-A Lab Protocol - this
information is designed to provide laboratories
with techniques to identify microorganisms, in
order to support clinicians in their diagnosis of
potential diseases.
Hantavirus
All
About Hantavirus
"....Hantavirus
pulmonary syndrome (HPS) has been recognized as a
disease only recently in North America. So far,
it's also fairly uncommon and the chances of
becoming infected are low. However, HPS is
potentially deadly and immediate intensive care is
essential once symptoms appear.
"Hantaviruses
that cause HPS are carried by rodents, especially
the deer mouse. You can become infected by
exposure to their droppings, and the first signs
of sickness (especially fever and muscle aches)
appear 1 to 5 weeks later, followed by shortness
of breath and coughing. Once this phase
begins, the disease progresses
rapidly, necessitating hospitalization and often
ventilation within 24 hours...." Click
Here for more of the story.
Hanta
Virus in South and Central America
Serendipity,
Science and a New Hantavirus
|
 Rodent-proof
Your Home to Keep Mice and Rats Out!
"Check your house to make sure rodents stay
where they belong: outside...."
See "Tips
For Preventing Hantavirus, Indoors and Outdoors"
for step-by-step
Download
the 54-page illustrated National Park Service
guide, Mechanical
Rodent- Proofing Techniques. for
detailed rodent- proofing instructions
rodent-proofing help. |
|
Ebola
Hemorrhagic Fever
"....No
case of the disease in humans has ever been
reported in the United States. Ebola-Reston virus
caused severe illness and death in monkeys
imported to research facilities in the United
States and Italy from the Philippines; during
these outbreaks, several research workers became
infected with the virus, but did not become
ill...."
Disease
Information: Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever
"....Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF)
is a severe, often-fatal disease in humans and
nonhuman primates (monkeys and chimpanzees) that
has appeared sporadically since its initial
recognition in 1976.
"The
disease is caused by infection with Ebola virus,
named after a river in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo (formerly Zaire) in Africa, where it was
first recognized. The virus is one of two members
of a family of RNA viruses called the Filoviridae.
Three of the four subtypes of Ebola virus
identified so far have caused disease in humans:
Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, and Ebola-Ivory Coast.
The fourth, Ebola-Reston, has caused disease in
nonhuman primates, but not in humans...."
Teaching
and Prevention Methods
|
Prevention
of Ebola Virus Infections
If cases
of the disease do appear, current social
and economic conditions favor the spread
of an epidemic within health-care
facilities. Therefore, health-care
providers must be able to recognize a case
of Ebola HF should one appear. They must
also have the capability to perform
diagnostic tests and be ready to employ
practical viral
hemorrhagic fever isolation precautions,
or barrier nursing techniques. These
techniques include the wearing of
protective clothing, such as masks,
gloves, gowns, and goggles; the use of
infection-control measures, including
complete equipment sterilization; and the
isolation of Ebola HF patients from
contact with unprotected persons. The aim
of all of these techniques is to avoid any
persons contact with the blood or
secretions of any patient. If a patient
with Ebola HF dies, it is equally
important that direct contact with the
body of the deceased patient be prevented. |
|
|
| AIDS in the
News |
Bush To Prod G-8 Leaders On AIDS Funding (NPR)
Global health will be on the agenda at this week's Group of Eight summit. President Bush hopes the other leaders will keep a promise: They pledged billions of dollars to fight AIDS and other diseases in the developing world. ANASO on Improvement of its Aids Fight Strategic Plan (AngolaPress)
Luanda, 07/06 The Angolan Network of Organisations of AIDS Services (ANASO) holds Monday in Luanda a workshop intended to revamp its national strategic plan for 2008/2012 period. AIDS crisis' 2nd wave? (The Oklahoman)
Nearly three decades after the AIDS crisis began, young gay males β and even more so young gay black males β continue to test positive for HIV at alarming rates. Most weekends, health educator Mark Knight can be found on NW 39 and Pennsylvania Avenue, in and around about a half dozen gay bars, armed with condoms, testing cards and other HIV/AIDS prevention information. He might see hundreds of ... Kinsler's homer aids Feldman in win (MLB.com)
Kinsler's homer aids Feldman in win Young cyclist goes the distance for AIDS awareness (The Fremont Argus)
Fremont teen Aaron Li pedaled 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center as part of the seventh annual AIDS/LifeCycle event.
|
| Vaccinations
Against Potentially Deadly Disease
 Japanese
color woodcut print advertising the effectiveness
of cowpox vaccine (circa 1850 A.D.)
"....It
was known that among persons and families who
tended cows, the clinical signs of smallpox were
never serious. Following this clue, Dr. Kuwata
tried vaccinating children with the contents of
eruptions from cowpox. As the result, the
children's illness was mild and not transmitted to
others. Dr. Kuwata, who was the pioneer of
vaccination in Japan, vaccinated more than 70,000
people. He died with a vaccination needle in his
hand in 1868, when he was 58 years old...."
Emerging
Infectious Diseases Journal
National
Center for Infectious Disease
Disease
Outbreak News
Preventing
Emerging Infectious Diseases: A Strategy for the
21st Century Overview of the Updated CDC Plan
|
|
|
|
West
Nile Virus
West
Nile (WN) virus "has emerged in
recent years in temperate regions of Europe and
North America, presenting a threat to public,
equine, and animal health. The most serious
manifestation of WN virus infection is fatal
encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in humans
and horses, as well as mortality in certain
domestic and wild birds...."
Mad
Cow Disease
Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy "....Since
1996, evidence has been increasing for a causal
relationship between ongoing outbreaks in Europe
of a disease in cattle called bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease) and
a disease in humans called new variant
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD). Both disorders
are invariably fatal brain diseases that are
caused by an unconventional transmissible agent.
From 1995 through 1998, a total of 38 human deaths
in the United Kingdom and one human death in
France were attributed to nvCJD. Although there is
strong evidence that the agent responsible for
these deaths is the same agent responsible for the
BSE outbreaks in cattle, the specific foods, if
any, that may be associated with the transmission
of this agent from cattle to humans are unknown.
However, through 1998, bioassays have identified
the presence of the BSE agent in the brain, spinal
cord, retina, dorsal root ganglia (nervous tissue
located near the backbone), and possibly the bone
marrow of infected cattle...."
See
also:
Death and Dying
God, Prayer and Scripture
Health Information
Holistic
and Alternative Healing
Immortality
Making
Light of Death
(Warning: not for the squeamish or easily offended)
Miracles
Near
Death Experiences and the Afterlife
Pharaohs,
Pyramids and Mummies
Punishment
and Torture
Serial
Killers
Tragic
Accidents, Murders and Deaths
Unsolved
Crimes
|
|
