Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine
Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine Ma'ayenei Hayeshua
Hospital
Anthrax is all over the news today, so we should speak about
it. Anthrax is a disease of cattle and other plant-eating
animals. It has the ability to make spores that can turn into
seeds and wait until conditions are optimal to sprout. If
that happens in the skin, it can cause an ugly sore that
fortunately heals well. If the spores are swallowed, it can
cause a severe diarrhea and sepsis -- that is blood
poisoning, but this is unusual unless a sick animal's meat is
eaten, and that is rare for those who eat kosher meat.
What is more concerning is when these seeds are inhaled.
After this happens, a flu-like syndrome occurs. If
antibiotics are not immediately started, the bacteria quickly
reproduces in the area of the heart and lung and the person
is dead within 3-6 days, even if antibiotics are started.
Anthrax spores are easy to come by and Iraq for sure has
weaponized them, as have the Japanese, the British, the U.S.,
the Russians, and probably the Israelis. An epidemic of
weaponized anthrax did occur in 1979 in Russia when, by
mistake, anthrax was released to the city of Sverdlosk in
Russia. The Russians have engineered anthrax that is
resistant to the vaccine, to all antibiotics and that has
been inserted into other bacteria to escape detection. It is
unknown if terrorists or Muslim countries have these
species.
What to do. First, don't panic. Your gas masks will not help
in this situation, but most countries have stockpiled enough
antibiotics to weather an anthrax epidemic. Unidentified
powders should have the police summoned and if you feel you
might have been exposed, you must have a nasal swab done as
soon as possible. Wash off all powders, and do not touch
powders, or open letters that are suspicious. Local health
ministries and emergency centers should be contacted for all
questions.
Other bacterial weapons are possible. Despite what I said in
a previous article that only two specimens of smallpox exist,
they have made it somehow out and could be part of biological
warfare.
We live in troubled times. Nuclear weapons are no longer the
deterrent they have been, and biological warfare is easy to
reproduce and use. Hopefully with prayer, Torah and mitzvos
we will be spared the present scourge. Write me in care of
the Yated.
A message from Glaxo, sponsor of this column. Why take
chances with diseases that we do have solutions for? Glaxo's
line of vaccines can be life saving. Infanrix is against
diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, while Infanrix
prevents hemophilus and polio. Prevention is 9/10 of the
cure!
