A Plague on DC Protesters. No, seriously.

Hey People -

I am new at this whole posting-a-discussion-thread thing, so please forgive any faux pas. But I just got this email from an organizer of one of the UPJ groups in DC (also my roommate for the weekend), she asked me to pass it on and I thought it was important for everyone to know. Again, sorry if this is too long, but I wasn't sure how to link it. I trust the mods will edit as necessary (thanks).

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Date: Tue, 4 Oct 2005 08:05:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Beverley Wiskow" <peace_now_citruscounty@yahoo.com>


We recently received the following information and wanted to make sure that everyone who was in DC for the march and rally is aware. The Centers for Disease Control and the Virginia Department of Health have issued a health alert about the detection of an illness-producing bacterium on the National Capitol Mall on September 24 and 25. We have pasted in the alert below. The bacterium, called Tularemia Bacteria, can produce illness with the following symptoms:

Sudden fever
Chills
Headaches
Muscle aches
Joint pain
Dry cough
Conjunctivitis
Pneumonia

If you have these symptoms and were at the National Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C. on September 24 or 25th, please do the following:

1. See your health care provider, and bring a copy of this health alert (see below). The test for tularemia can take a number of days; your health provider may want to place you on antibiotics in the meantime.

2. Please send us an email -- we'd like to know if anyone from MFSO comes down with these symptoms. peace_now_citruscounty@yahoo.com



http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/PressReleases/2005/093005Tularemia.asp

September 30, 2005

For More Information Contact

CDC Press Office (404) 639-3286
D.C. Health Department, Leila Abrar (202) 841-9232
Maryland Department of Health, Karen Black (804) 471-0842
VDH Press Pager (877) 573-9504

ROUTINE AIR SAMPLER DETECTION SYSTEM IN WASHINGTON, D.C. INDICATES RESULTS FROM POSSIBLE DISEASE AGENT

Sept. 24 Test Results Indicate Tularemia Bacteria

(RICHMOND, Va)—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notified the states of Maryland and Virginia and the District of Columbia today that an airborne form of Tularemia bacterium was detected by air sensors in the vicinity of the National Capital Mall during the weekend of Sept. 24 - 25. Since then, additional tests from these collectors have all been negative.

Subsequent laboratory tests performed on the Sept. 24-25 samples have supported the presence of low levels of the bacterium in the environment. Public health officials do not believe the finding of low levels of the bacterium near the National Mall indicate a public health threat.

Tularemia, which occurs naturally, is easily treated with common antibiotics. It cannot be transmitted from person to person. Tularemia is found naturally in the environment, and health officials are doing additional environmental sampling as well as reviewing other possible causes of the positive reading.

State health departments have alerted local health departments, acute care treatment facilities, health care providers and veterinarians to be on the alert for signs of respiratory infections related to Tularemia. Also as a precaution, CDC and public health officials are alerting the medical community to be on the lookout for possible cases of Tularemia. To date, no cases of Tularemia have been discovered or reported.

As a precautionary measure, CDC and public health officials are recommending that anyone who visited areas around the National Mall between 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24 and 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 25 should see a health care provider if they experience symptoms related to Tularemia, which include:

Sudden fever
Chills
Headaches
Muscle aches
Joint pain
Dry cough
Conjunctivitis
Pneumonia

People who do not have symptoms of Tularemia do not need to seek out medical attention.

The Centers for Disease Control is the lead agency investigating this incident. Information about Tularemia is available from the CDC at www.cdc.gov http://www.cdc.gov/. Similar information is available on the Virginia Department of Health Web site at www.vdh.virginia.gov.

*************************************************************************************************************************

From the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Tularemia

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/tularemia/faq.asp

Support our troops, bring them home now!
Beverley Finney Wiskow
(352) 400-4174 (352) 344-2506
Peace Now Citrus County

Is that why you posted this again after it has been posted dozens of times or are you just "concerned" and want to "help"?

Hey look, I'm really sorry to have wasted your time, okay?

I did look through several pages of postings and did not see even one post on this topic before mine, much less the "dozens" you saw, so I thought I would put it out there. If I saw it anywhere else, I would never have posted this bc I try to be considerate and not junk up the boards with duplicate information. And if I had new information to add, like contact numbers or whatever, I would have added it to the existing post.

You may wish to note that my post starts out with an apology if I've somehow misstepped. Like I said, I'm new to this.

DId you bother to read the note at the top? People like you make me really angry.

Besides which, this info was MORE HELPFUL than much of the other info, and I spent quite some time trying to find it again to send to a friend of mine who might be sick.

What is your problem? Who the *** are you? SOme kind of important gatekeeper for DU? Scare away the newbies?

You must be really special. Too bad Democratic Underground can't be a democratic forum.

So, thank you, Dangerously Amused, for this very helpful info.

Vinnie, how about you go learn some manners?

Boy, sorry for my rudeness, but I am pissed.

Hey, thank you. It means a lot, especially to a newbie.

Most people here are really polite and cool. Like you. : )

I am infinitely amused by people that scream "Undemocratic! Undemocratic!" Oooh my! Have your posts been deleted? Did somebody kick your door in and make you quit typing on your keyboard? As I see it, you have had no impediments to posting your spot on impression that I am special. The other stuff you wrote just made me laugh.

GEE, HOW CONVIENANT FOR BUSH** TO BE GONE FOR THE WEEK-END.....


Here's more: http://news.surfwax.com/health/files/Tularemia.html

On edit: It may be a good idea to start wearing face masks or taking an antibiotic for any big demostrations from now on...

Of course you have a good point and I would certainly like to know how often and under what circumstances this disease showed up in DC and/or on the mall in the past. Frankly, I wouldn't put anything past them.

Thanks for the additional sources of info., esp:


"According to the CDC's Web site, people can get rabbit fever by being bitten by a infected tick, deerfly or other insect; handling infected animal carcasses; eating or drinking contaminated food or water; or, breathing in the bacteria.

The CDC also said the bacteria can be used as a weapon if made into an aerosol that could be inhaled.

"The bacteria that cause tularemia occur widely in nature and could be isolated and grown in quantity in a laboratory, although manufacturing an effective aerosol weapon would require considerable sophistication," the CDC said.

The Washington Post said the germ that causes tularemia is considered a biohazard because it is highly infectious and was tested in the 1960s by the United States as a biological weapon."

source: http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=9815270§ion=news&src=rss/uk/healthNews

after the march. But who knows what happened? Could they be playing with us testing low levels of biological toxins?

Naaaaahhhhh, our government wouldn't do that!!!! :sarcasm: