NYC POSTAL WORKER'S DEATH OCT 10 MAY BE DUE TO ANTHRAX

CNN ^ | 10/27/01 | CNN

[cgk]

Anthrax cultures were discovered in four mail-sorting machines inside Manhattan's largest mail-distribution center. The worker, Laura Jones, died on October 10 of what was then deemed natural causes.

[cgk]

I did the requisite search for this topic, was surprised I didn't find it. Am not surprised about this, but wish I was. It seems there may be a lot of these stories to come, unfortunately among our postal workers.

Stay safe,

Mrs Kus

[cgk]

this portion of the article is in the middle of the website I linked to... under the heading "Latest Developments"

Mrs Kus

[pops88]

I'd love to see the numbers for pneumonia and menningitis related deaths that have occurred in the last 2 months, location, and percentage increase compared to this time other years. I would think astute epidemiologists would be looking at this. Sadly, I doubt we'll see this information anytime soon.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Excellent catch!

To find all articles tagged or indexed using

Anthrax_Scare_List

Go here:

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC) LIST

and then click the Anthrax_Scare_List topic to initiate the search! !

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Anthrax by the numbers

13 total anthrax infections

  • 3 deaths from inhalation infections

  • 4 cases inhalation infections

  • 6 cases cutaneous anthrax

32 total anthrax exposures

Source: CDC/CNN

[lilsparky]

Natural causes, that's usually saved for really old, frail people, not actively employed ones. Hmmmmmm

[kingh99]

Do you realize that the absence of gun control would have prevented the attack of Sept 11.

I just wonder how many stage coaches would have been successfully hi-jacked if the stage coach passengers knew they faced a fanatic bent on suicide.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

My father (58 years old) got suddenly very ill at the end of July. He lived in Houston Texas at the time. He lost fifty or sixty pounds over several months prior to that, and all of a sudden he started badly slurring his speech, had unexplained falls, and so forth. I actually flew down to Houston in early August to bring him to the VA medical center. The doctors ruled out a stroke. The first thing they suspected was meningitis. Then my sister learned that St. Louis Encephalitis had been found in mosquitoes trapped literally only one block away from his home. Of course, he tested negative for this too. Not like I WANTED him to have it, but at least we'd know what it was.

He was discharged, then readmitted a few weeks later after getting worse. A week or so after that my sister flew him out to Houston. This was only a few days after the Sept. 11 hijackings, so I was really nervous about him flying, and possibly going off on a rant and getting my sister in trouble. Fortunately they made it, and he's now in a 'residential care' facility.

They never did come up with a definitive diagnosis. The point of my story is (1) to vent, and (2) to point out how meningitis/encephalitis can be assumed when it is not in fact present. Flu season will only make things worse. I have a bad feeling that our health care system will be severely taxed by flu sufferers who fear the worst. What if thousands of people demand Cipro or other antibiotics when they aren't warranted?

I'm not an expert on these things, just concerned. Part of the reason I spend so much time here at FR is because my sister and father are my only close family still alive. My sister, bless her heart, is very liberal. My father is too far gone to have intelligent conversations with any more. I feel for those who have to watch a loved one die slowly. I fear that my father will not recover, and is in fact declining with each day.

Sorry for the sob story. Just feeling a little down (doesn't help that the Yankees are getting pounded, either :<)

[Galtoid]

I am also distressed that the Yankees are getting beat by monumental proportions. It is sad. Hope they come back. If any team deserves to win, it's them.

[pops88]

My condolences. How very frustrating to never get a difinitive diagnosis. Our health care system is in a horrible state. It's distressing what has become of it thanks to insurance companies and HMO's- Dr.'s being dictated to about what tests can/can't be run and what treatments/meds can be prescribed. The only good thing is that they haven't socialized it...yet.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Sorry to hear of your dad's condition. Did they only test for virals/bacterials? What about an MRI? Did they rule out any sort of brain tumor/anomoly? The unexplained falls would lead my questioning in that direction.

[darth]

I read in yesterday's Wall Street Journal that the FBI sees no need to test the hijackers' apartments for anthrax. HUH??? Why would the FBI not perform a simple test that could positively identify the hijackers as the perps in the anthrax attack? And at the same time they're off on a wild goose chase to see if "right wing radicals" did it? I would be suspicious of domestic terrorists too if there had been years of activity, e.g., lots of bombings, murders, etc. In fact, I would recommend a swab for anthrax when they search the abode, car, or person of any suspect. Anthrax spores are persistent and could positively identify the sleeper terrorists or anyone who contributed to the recent attacks.

[pops88]

I'm beginning to think the FBI is run by Larry, Curly and Moe.

[aristeides]

I read in yesterday's Wall Street Journal that the FBI sees no need to test the hijackers' apartments for anthrax.

If the FBI is under orders to find that the anthrax is from a domestic source, or if somebody in power has suggested this to them, then of course they won't test the hijackers' apartments for anthrax. If they did, they would almost certainly get the wrong result.

[StarFan]

Sorry for the sob story. Just feeling a little down (doesn't help that the Yankees are getting pounded, either :<) No need to apologize as we are all family here and as family we share you plight. Your father is quite young to be in a residential care facility. Is this a permanent placement or temporary until he heals?

BTW, you are kind when you say the Yankees are getting pounded. My husband is using other words to describe how 'well' they're hitting tonight (tehehehe).

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

They did a lumbar puncture, which they cultured, to rule out meningitis and encephalitis. I believe they did an MRI of his brain, and that revealed micro-strokes that weren't recent, but nothing big. He was revealed to be a Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic. Other comorbid conditions were high blood pressure and rapid pulse. It was very frustrating hearing about all these tests being run, and learning nothing. Not unlike watching Anthrax spread through our postal system, while the authorities still have no idea who is doing it.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

He's at a place in Thousand Oaks, CA called T.O.R.C.H. That stands for (I think) Thousand Oaks Residential Care Home. It seems to be a step below a nursing home. My sister and I dreaded it when we took him to see different places, because he's one of those stubborn people who made a big deal about 'not wanting to be a burden on us'. But we had no choice. I'm going through a divorce, and trying to sell my home, so I can't take care of him. My sister has health problems of her own, but works at home, and lives with her fiancee', who has a steady job teaching Math at UCSB. So she has the time to oversee his care.

Most of the people there are women, and much older. There are a couple of older veterans (WWII-era), though. My father saw no combat, but did serve as a Vietnam-era veteran. I believe he did his basic training on Okinawa. I'm not a military buff, and he never pushed it, so I don't know much more than that. I was hoping he could talk to the other vets as a way to keep him from spiralling too far into depression. I don't know that he's doing that, however. He used to use the Internet all the time, and would email me every day or two. Now he can't even type simple words, and doesn't seem to remember how to use a computer at all.

My grand plan is to quit my job in the spring, sell most of my stuff, put the rest in storage, and hike the Pacific Crest Trail. I will never get a better opportunity to do it. I love hiking, and I need a break from life. I'm disillusioned somewhat. My marriage fell apart, my family is almost nonexistent, and I live in arguably the most liberal part of the country (Connecticut).

Anybody out there hiked part of the PCT? For those that don't know, it runs from the Mexican border in California, to Manning Provincial Park in Canada (just north of the border with Washington State). It's over 2,600 miles, and will likely take 5-6 months to hike. I've lined up a potential hiking partner, a young woman about my age, whom I've been corresponding with over the Internet.

Sorry for interrupting the thread. I suppose it's bad form, especially one about someone dying. Someone let me know if I've stepped over the line. I just get going sometimes, and forget where I am.

[Misterioso]

The Yankees don't deserve to win unless they outscore the Diamondbacks. This sappy, maudlin sentiment is particularly misplaced when it comes to sport. Would you also suggest that Arizona just forfeit the series in the memory of those killed in New York? It's this wimpy attitude that makes Islamic terrorists think they can beat us.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

...he's now in a 'residential care' facility.

They never did come up with a definitive diagnosis.

Your father is too young to be in a residential care facility, without knowing what the actual cause of his illness is. Please don't give up on him. Take him to see another doctor. Please.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

Thanks for your support. He is still going to a doctor, from what my sister tells me. He isn't in lockdown or anything. My sister and her fiancee' take him out practically every visit. I'm not giving up on him, but there's only so much I can do. I have taken two week-long plane trips. The first was to Houston, to get him into a hospital, and try to locate paperwork in his house (a house which was, to put it very mildly, was a horror of a mess). The other trip was the week after the Sept. 11 attack, to California. I was planning on taking my vacation in Portland, Oregon, but decided I was needed out with my sister and father more. Plus, I didn't feel much like a vacation after the horrible attack on America.

I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed by everything. That's why I'm trying to simplify -- divest myself of the house, much of my stuff, the daily grind of my job -- and just live simply. On the trail I'll only have to focus on the basics -- food and shelter.