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THE FACTS ABOUT ANTHRAX AND CIPRO November 28 2001 The following are the facts about Anthrax and Cipro (antibiotics) as I have learned them through two meetings with Public Health, Dr. Bonnie Henry. The first meeting took place on Friday November 8 2001 at the International Plaza Hotel out at the airport. The second took place at the S.C.L.P.P. on Thursday November 15 2001. I will state the facts as they were translated to me. Dr. Bonnie Henry is an associate medical officer for Public Health working primarily in the surveillance of infectious disease and is affiliated with the World Health Organization.
ANTHRAX -Anthrax is a bacteria not a virus, and there is only one strain of the bacteria -individuals can’t submit specimens to Public Health for analysis, only the police can -there are three ways to contract Anthrax: 1. by eating infected meat 2. by inhaling 5-8 thousand spores (a breath) 3. direct contact through an open sore Note: the open sore could be much smaller than the average paper cut. -Anthrax IS a treatable infection -if you become infected with the bacteria you cannot spread it to anyone else unless you are actually still contaminated; in other words, the powder is spreadable but the infection is not. -there is no nasal swab to determine a positive exposure. -a blood test is necessary to determine exposure, but will only be effective ONCE you have symptoms. CIPRO note: Inoculous: from the verb inoculate- to introduce a serum, a vaccine, or an antigen substance into the body, esp. to produce or to boost immunity to a specific disease. To safeguard as if by inoculation. Humans have very little resistance to Cipro; the antibiotics given to those exposed to Anthrax. It is also used for many other infections such as: lower respiratory, sinus, skin, abdominal, gynecological, pelvic, and lung infection in people with underlying diseases. Cipro should not be prescribed until a positive test for Anthrax has occurred. It is generally taken for 60 days, much longer than the usual 5-10 days. As a direct result of the little resistance, mass medicating could cause long term community problems as it is NOT an inoculous drug. It is important to note that Anthrax is very difficult to make, obtain and handle and that the milling and coating of the powder so that the spores don’t stick together; make it a very expensive and difficult process. Untreated during the early symptoms, Anthrax causes Septic shock, at which point 50% die. The incubation period is 1-60 days but is most commonly 5-7 days inhaled incubation. If there is a “white powder incident” in your Post Office, there is no point in going to the hospital unless you are feeling other ill effects; they probably have other causes. If you really believe that it is Anthrax, wait the 24-36 hours until Public Health releases the test results from the samples. Although they are completely swamped, they have been diligent in responding to our incidents as they also realize that tracing mail in the event of a positive exposure becomes extremely more difficult as the days pass. It is difficult enough to begin with.
"WE COULD HAVE WORKED THIS OUT-YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BRING THE UNION IN!" This could be considered the motto of one of our supervisors at the Y.D.C. When I approach the counter with some employee who isn't quite sure what his or her rights are, this response is almost expected by me. The employee isn't quite sure whether or not he or she has breached some protocol by even speaking to me about their problem. I assure them that the only breach taking place is the attempt by the supervisor to prevent the member from have Union Representation present at the time. I have told this supervisor on numerous occasions that, when our members pay Union dues, they are entitled to have a Shop Steward present when they want to discuss a problem with the employer. I also have told him on a number of occasions that his attempts to interfere with right through intimidation are "way out of line". It is nothing more than an attempt to coerce a member into being reluctant to have a Shop Steward with him or her the next time they need to discuss a problem. If a supervisor is reluctant to have a Shop Steward (witness) present, it's usually because the supervisor is uncomfortable with the idea that some member might find out what his or her rights really are in a situation. So, the next time you hear some supervisor "laying that line" on some neophyte employee, ask yourself "why doesn't the supervisor want this person to have a witness around for a discussion?" It's probably because they're treating that employee in a manner that "wouldn't stand the test of Union scrutiny". Remember, all a supervisor has to do is try to actively discourage a member from seeking Union Representation to violate Article 9 of the Collective Agreement. Dean Roosevelt, Shop Steward, York Distribution Centre
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