-
-
-
- Grim future predicted
for Medicaid program
(Annapolis Capital)
- Allegany youth aren't
saying 'no'
(Cumberland Times-News)
- Flu vaccine shipments
late (Cumberland Times-News)
- Possibility of germ
warfare causes worry
(Cumberland Times-News)
- Brain-injured lose
suit for community care (Daily Record)
- One for the road? (Frederick News-Post Editorial)
- Maryland braces for
bioterrorism
(Montgomery Gazette)
- Big Push to Accelerate
Vaccine Effort
(New York Times)
- County, municipalities
set meeting to discuss emergency readiness
(Prince George’s Gazette)
- Fewer lacked health
insurance in U.S. last year (Baltimore Sun)
- 'Desperately ill' man
receives third mechanical heart (Baltimore
Sun)
- FDA approves first
genetic test for mutating HIV (Baltimore
Sun)
- CDC backs Nov. flu shots
for healthy, citing shortage (Baltimore
Sun)
- Judge finds no
violations of mental patients' rights (Baltimore
Sun)
- Pastor set to tackle
HIV/AIDS issues
(Baltimore Sun)
- Boy, 5, recovering from
bacterial meningitis
(Baltimore Sun)
- Grants offered to
programs to prevent substance abuse (Baltimore
Sun)
- Flu Is Due; So Are Lots
of Shots
(USA Today)
- West Nile Found in Crow
in Charles
(Washington Post)
- Challenge to Confinement
by Md. Rejected
(Washington Post)
- Bioterrorism
Vulnerability Cited
(Washington Post)
- Delay in Flu Shots for
the Healthy Urged
(Washington Post)
- Special Report:
Aftermath of Terror
(Wall Street Journal)
- Recent Stress May Boost
The Risk of Heart Attacks (Wall Street Journal)
- Terrorist Attacks Renew
Concerns About Smallpox (Wall Street Journal)
- Novartis Says FDA
Approves Foradil For the Treatment of Smoker's Cough
(Wall Street Journal)
- Attack expert puts
stress on preparedness (Washington Times)
-
-
-
- Grim future predicted
for Medicaid program
-
- By
the Associated Press
- Annapolis Capital
- Thursday,
September 27, 2001
-
- Health-care
providers presented a grim picture of the state's Medicaid program yesterday,
warning that doctors are leaving the program because they aren't paid enough
money to cover their costs.
-
- Representatives
of hospitals, doctors and managed-care organizations pleaded with members
of the House Environmental Matters Committee in Annapolis to use their
influence with the governor to get more money for the HealthChoice program that
serves 420,000 Medicaid patients.
-
- "We
ask you for your help," said Michael Johansen, lobbyist for Maryland
Physicians Care, a managed care group owned by hospitals in Allegany and
Washington counties and Baltimore.
-
- Del.
John Hurson, D-Montgomery, chairman of the committee, reminded Mr.
Johansen that Gov. Parris N. Glendening has complete control over what goes in
the budget.
-
- But
he said there are "a few guerrilla tactics we can use to get them to wake
up to the fact that we need some more funding in this program."
-
- Mike
Morrill, Mr. Glendening's communications director, said the governor already
has approved a significant increase that far outstrips the rate of inflation.
-
- "Given
the budgetary situation that's coming up, we're going to be very cautious about
pouring money out without ensuring that in the long term, we are getting the
value for Maryland taxpayers that they should be getting for that money,"
Mr. Morrill said.
-
- Federal
rules require Maryland to ensure recipients enrolled in HealthChoice have at
least two managed care choices in their region.
-
- Recently,
however, managed care companies have been leaving the program or refusing to
take new patients because they say they aren't receiving the money they need to
stay in business.
-
- One
more managed care group's defection or patient refusal will mean the state will
have to revert to a "fee-for-service" system to cover new
Medicaid recipients. That system doesn't handle special needs or preventive
health, according to MedChi, the state medical society.
-
- The
funding problem is caused by payment rates the state sets for member
organizations and their physicians. While the rates are adjusted every year to
account for cost increases since 1997, before HealthChoice was established,
they were too low to begin with, critics charge.
-
- Priority
Partners, a managed-care organization owned by Johns Hopkins Medicine and
the Maryland Community Health System, has announced it will stop accepting new
patients on Jan. 1 unless Medicaid payments are increased.
-
- Anne
Arundel Medical Center spokesman Marty Harlan said the Annapolis hospital does
receive HealthChoice patients and said the program "is truly
underfunded."
-
- But
AAMC is not as heavily impacted as are more urban hospitals, because most
Medicaid recipients live in the Baltimore area.
-
- There
is also a problem on the Eastern Shore, where payments are so low that
specialists have dropped out of the HealthChoice program, said Dr. Fayette
Engstrom, an Easton pediatrician.
-
- "There
is just no question that the Medicaid system is in crisis," she said.
-
- Debbie
Chang, deputy secretary of the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,
said the agency is proposing to increase payments to health care providers by
$80 million in 2002, not counting additional funds to cover an anticipated
growth in the number of Medicaid patients. That amounts to an overall 7.9
percent increase.
-
- Del.
Michael E. Busch, D-Annapolis, said the HealthChoice program is still
experiencing "growing pains," but the state is committed to making it
work.
-
- "I
think it's really going to take another year or two for everything to really
filter out, and to have enough data to know where there's waste and where
there's need," Mr. Busch said. "It's not like the state is not
continuing to increase funding."
-
- Capital News Service
Writer Nora Achrati and Staff Writer Tim Hyland contributed to this story.
-
- Published September 27,
2001, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
- Copyright © 2001 The
Capital, Annapolis, Md.
-
-
-
- Allegany youth aren't
saying 'no'
-
- James
Rada
- Cumberland Times-News Staff Writer
- Thursday,
September 27, 2001
-
- CUMBERLAND
-- The latest Maryland Adolescent Survey shows that Allegany County
still has plenty of work to do to help its students choose not to use alcohol,
tobacco and drugs.
-
- "I
can't really say that things are remarkably worse except in the area of
Ecstasy," said Lorelee Farrell, assistant supervisor of health and family
life for the Allegany County Board of Education.
-
- The
survey is based on the results from 1,448 students from Allegany County in the
sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th grades.
-
- In
the area of Ecstasy use, in 1996, only 7.9 percent of 12th graders had ever
used it. In 2001, that number is now 14 percent. This is the 12th highest in
the state.
-
- "The
kids are not getting the message. This is very dangerous and deadly," said
Farrell.
-
- While
the county is seeing declines in hallucinogen and methamphetamine use, Farrell
said it is a possibility the students could be shifting to Ecstasy.
-
- The
numbers, at least for the 12th-graders, are also creeping up for use of
the three most common drugs: alcohol, tobacco and marijuana.
-
- Among
12th graders:
-
- *
Those who have ever used cigarettes is 64.9 percent, which is the highest in
the state.
-
- *
Those who have ever used any form of alcohol is 83.4 percent, which is the
third highest in the state.
-
- *
Those who have ever used marijuana is 55.3 percent, which is the fourth highest
in the state.
-
- In
the younger grades, there are drops in nearly all of these areas instead of
increases. Farrell feels this indicates that there is a general trend toward
less drug use. She hopes that the trend will
- continue
as the students get older.
-
- "We've
made progress in a lot of ways, but we will always have work to do," said
Farrell.
-
- She
pointed to actions that the board has taken recently that she feels will help
continue to keep the general trend downward. The board changed its tobacco-use
policy to get smoking teens into
- cessation
programs at the health department, and the board has started a new middle
school program called Lifeskills.
-
- "We've
certainly been working on reducing tobacco use. That's been a huge effort among
a lot of people," said Farrell.
-
- The
county is comparing the 2001 study results against the 1996 study results
rather than the 1998 results. The 1998 study had so many problems that it was
released a year late, and the state hired another company to conduct this
year's study.
-
- Farrell
feels the information in this year's study is not only accurate but useful.
-
- "It's
a wake-up call for health organizations, law enforcement, schools --
private and public -- and parents," said Farrell.
-
- She
feels parents need to talk to their children about these issues.
-
- "Parents
need to know where their children are, who they are with and what they are
doing. On prom night, there shouldn't be parties in private homes where alcohol
is served to young people," said Farrell.
-
- Copyright © 2001
Cumberland Times-News
-
-
-
- Flu vaccine shipments
late
- Health
officials don't expect shortage, however
-
- Sam
Shawver
- Cumberland Times-News Staff Writer
- Thursday,
September 27, 2001
-
- CUMBERLAND
-- Delayed flu vaccine shipments could postpone the Allegany County
Health Department's annual vaccination clinics until November. Local health
officials say there's no shortage expected this year, but it will take some
time for the vaccine shipments to arrive.
-
- "We
received a partial shipment of 500 doses, but that isn't enough to schedule a
clinic," said Sue Ottmar, director of nursing for the county health
department.
-
- "A
total of 2,500 doses have been ordered, but we're not certain when the
remaining shipment is coming in," she said. "I've read that there are
actually more doses being produced, so there's no
- shortage
this year."
-
- Last
fall a limited supply of the vaccine caused the state to delay flu vaccination
clinics until November.
-
- "Usually
our clinics are scheduled in mid-October, but we're probably looking at
November again this year," said Ottmar.
-
- The
health department isn't the only agency having problems with vaccine shipments.
The Western Maryland Health System is also experiencing delays.
-
- "We're
expecting our first shipment of flu vaccine by the end of October," said
Kathy Rogers, community relations director for WMHS.
-
- County
Health Officer Ed Dressman said the shipping delays may be partially due to
some institutions filing double orders for the vaccine to offset any possible
supply shortage.
-
- The
vaccination clinics focus on individuals who are considered at high risk of
contracting the virus, including people over the age of 65 or those under 65
who have chronic medical problems,
- according
to Ottmar. She said people who provide care for high-risk individuals
should also be vaccinated.
-
- "The
vaccine doesn't make people sick because it is produced from a killed
virus," said Ottmar. "It's proven to prevent influenza by stimulating
the immune system to produce antibodies."
-
- She
said some people may become ill after receiving a flu shot because they have
already contracted a virus before the vaccine is administered.
-
- Dressman
said the health department will schedule the vaccination clinics shortly after
the final shipment of vaccine arrives.
-
- "We
just don't have enough vaccine to set up our clinics yet," he said.
"Our first clinic each year usually draws about 1,200 people."
-
- Copyright © 2001
Cumberland Times-News
-
-
-
- Possibility of germ
warfare causes worry
- Local
health officials watch for evidence
-
- Sam
Shawver
- Cumberland Times-News Staff Writer
- Thursday,
September 27, 2001
-
- CUMBERLAND
-- Recent news reports on the possibility of bioterrorism being
used against the United States have some area residents worried. But
precautions are already being taken by
- local
health officials, according to the county's chief health officer who was part
of a statewide teleconference on biological and chemical warfare on Wednesday
afternoon.
-
- "Surveillance
has been going on all summer at area hospitals, but efforts have been stepped
up since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11," said Ed Dressman, health
officer with the Allegany County Health Department.
-
- "The
Centers for Disease Control and the state Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene are asking emergency departments to be on the watch for any unusual
occurrences, based on past
- experience,
that might indicate exposure to a harmful biological agent," said Kathy
Rogers, community relations director for the Western Maryland Health System.
-
- "But
we are certainly seeing nothing unusual at this time," she added.
-
- Dressman
said a biological agent would be extremely difficult to deliver in this area.
-
- "There's
very little possibility of contaminating the water supply with a live virus due
to the sheer volume of stored water and chlorination," he explained.
"It would have to be extremely
- concentrated."
-
- Viruses
could be sprayed into the air, so the local health department was recently
asked to contact area companies that spray for mosquitoes to see if they had
any equipment missing. Dressman said all the hardware was accounted for.
-
- "The
only local mosquito spraying is done by the state Department of Agriculture
around the canal area," said Dressman.
-
- Still,
local citizens are growing apprehensive about biological attacks after hearing
reports on television and radio.
-
- Two
of their greatest concerns are the anthrax and smallpox viruses.
-
- "We're
already getting phone calls asking about vaccinations against these
diseases," said Dressman. "But that's not going to happen. There is a
very small supply of the smallpox vaccine
- available,
and that is being administered by the CDC. It would probably only be used in
the area of an attack."
- He
estimated that it would take nearly two years to develop more smallpox vaccine.
-
- "There
is also a shortage of the anthrax vaccine, which is being held for our military
forces," he added. "If people want more vaccine for these viruses
they should be contacting their
congressional representatives."
-
- Dressman
said health officials are concerned that people will begin hoarding medicines
without cause.
-
- "We
don't want the public stockpiling antibiotics or getting on antibiotics for no
reason," said Dressman. "It only makes the situation worse and
there's no need to do that."
-
- State
health officials are currently compiling information on what antibiotics are
available and where they are stored.
-
- The
health department is also sharing information with WMHS about the properties of
possible biological or chemical agents used by terrorists.
-
- "We're
trying to get information out to various health agencies and to the
community," said Dressman.
-
- Health
department representatives will be meeting soon with county and hospital
officials to update emergency plans to deal with the possibility of a terrorist
attack.
-
- "A
lot of our plan was developed during the Y2K situation," Dressman noted.
-
- Copyright © 2001
Cumberland Times-News
-
-
-
- Brain-injured lose
suit for community care
-
- By
Peter Geier & Barbara Grzinicic
- Daily Record Legal Affairs Writers
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- The
state has no duty under the Constitution or the Americans with Disabilities Act
to provide developmentally disabled adults with community-based care,
rather than institutionalizing them, a federal judge in Baltimore has ruled.
-
- Judge
Catherine C. Blake’s 84-page opinion, issued late yesterday, comes in a
seven-year-old class action naming 12 brain-damaged
representative plaintiffs who claim they were denied appropriate care. At
present, some have died, some have been placed in community settings and only
three remain in state institutions.
-
- “The
evidence spread before the court reflected contrasting perspectives on a very
difficult set of circumstances,” Blake wrote. “The plaintiffs’ pain and
frustration was genuine and understandable; the defendants’ efforts to provide
a stable, safe and caring environment also were genuine and commendable, if not
always successful. In the end, the plaintiffs have not shown sufficient reason
for the court to order the State of Maryland to do more.”
-
- Yesterday’s
decision comes five years after summary judgment was denied, four years after a
32-day bench trial was held, and two years after the case was rebriefed
following the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., which dealt with
the ADA rights of a mentally retarded individual who was involuntarily
institutionalized.
-
- Philip
J. Fornaci, executive director of the Maryland Disability Law Center, expressed
anger and disappointment at having waited “such a long time not to have gotten
a more favorable result.”
-
- “We’re
extremely disturbed by this decision,” Fornaci said, “first of all on behalf of
our clients, then for the 60 traumatically brain injured and nonretarded
developmentally disabled people currently in psychiatric institutions in
Maryland that have been waiting for this decision.”
-
- Maureen
M. Dove, the attorney general’s chief of litigation, had not had a chance to
study the opinion, but praised its result.
-
- “As
you can see, the court concluded that they didn’t prove either the ADA or the
Due Process claims,” Dove said.
-
- Cost-based defense
-
- While
the Olmstead Court determined that “[u]njustified isolation … is properly
regarded as discrimination based on disability,” Blake wrote, the state can
raise a “cost-based defense” to show that proposed modifications to its
program would be a “fundamental alteration” and therefore, unreasonable.
- “Most
importantly, the ADA is not reasonably read to compel a State to put patients
at risk by closing its institutions or to drive a State to move
institutionalized patients into “inappropriate” settings,” Blake wrote.
-
- She
reviewed the state’s history of placing members of the traumatic brain
injured/nonretarded developmentally disabled population into the community, and
ultimately concluded that progress has been acceptable.
-
- “
‘The State’s responsibility, once it provides community-based treatment
to qualified persons with disabilities, is not boundless,’ ” Blake wrote,
quoting the plurality opinion in Olmstead, “and the court must consider the
totality of the expenses and programs undertaken by the State when evaluating
the fundamental alteration defense.”
-
- Fornaci,
however, criticized Blake for taking “pieces of that decision that are most
favorable to the state’s position” and, essentially, missing its point.
-
- “The
bottom line is that Olmstead recognizes the urgency of the situation — that
it’s a gross violation of these folks’ civil rights,” he said. “[Blake] does
not recognize that; she does not see it as urgent.”
-
- Balancing interests
-
- Blake
also found the plaintiffs were not denied their “substantive liberty interests
that require the State to provide adequately safe conditions, reasonable
freedom from bodily restraint, and ‘minimally adequate or reasonable training
to ensure safety and freedom from undue restraint,’” citing the 1982 Supreme
Court decision in Youngberg v. Romeo, which addressed the rights of a mentally
retarded individual.
-
- While
the plaintiffs claimed their institutionalization departed from the acceptable
standards of care, defense experts countered that treatment methods are “always
a balance,” and that the hospitals had considered the relevant factors and
struck an appropriate balance.
-
- The
plaintiffs also claimed the hospitals were too noisy and chaotic, and that the
staff members were inadequately trained, to provide the low-stimulation
environment needed to “habilitate” brain-damaged subjects. The state
denied the assertion, and Blake ruled for the state.
-
- Fornaci
said the plaintiffs are considering their options.
-
- “The
main thing to keep in mind is that the folks in question here have been waiting
years to get out of settings that they don’t want to be in and that are harmful
to them,” he said.
-
- Yesterday’s
opinion is available as RecordFax #1-0927-40 (84 pages).
-
- Copyright © 2001 The
Daily Record. All Rights Reserved.
-
-
-
- One for the road?
-
- Frederick News-Post Editorial
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- It's
official. Get caught driving in Maryland with a blood-alcohol level of
.08 or more and you're in a world of hurt. Beginning Sept. 30, Maryland's new,
lower tolerance level for drinking drivers will be in effect, and the state has
a $2 million war chest (provided by federal grant as a reward for passing the
more-stringent limit) with which it will enforce the new standard.
-
- You'll
be seeing signs everywhere announcing the new tougher limits, and you'll be
taking a chance of getting pinched by a sobriety checkpoint (a sobering
thought) if you have too much to drink and then drive.
-
- We
needed this legislation. It's hard to argue with statistics like the $850
million annual cost associated with alcohol-related crashes. And last
year alone, 195 people were killed and upwards of 6,000 injured in Maryland
driving incidents that involved alcohol.
-
- This
is a new reality for people who routinely have a couple of drinks and drive.
They may soon be legally over the limit of .08 after those couple of drinks.
Social-drinking drivers may be wondering just how much they can consume
and still be driving legally. How quickly alcohol is consumed, the consumer's
body weight, liver function and other variables may come into play.
-
- Relying
on your own judgment as to whether you can drive safely will probably continue
to get a lot of people into trouble. As a general rule, if you've been drinking
and decide you're OK to drive, to paraphrase Bill Clinton, it's the alcohol,
stupid.
-
- Some
people will probably resort to buying breathalizers to measure their blood
alcohol content. The best and safest rule to apply from now on, however, is
that if you plan on driving, just don't drink at all. If you want to party and
need transportation, make sure you have a designated driver or take a cab or
public transportation.
-
- This
legislation reflects a new resolve in the public consciousness about drinking
and driving. Fines and other penalties for driving while intoxicated are stiff
these days. Thinking about having a few belts and then driving? Forget about
it.
-
-
-
- Maryland braces for
bioterrorism
-
- by
Manju Subramanya
- Montgomery Gazette Staff Writer
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- ROCKVILLE
-- In November, Montgomery County health officials battled a mock
attack of anthrax, mobilizing hospital beds, antibiotics and personnel in rapid-fire
sequence to deal with a catastrophic epidemic.
-
- The
exercise was part of a daylong drill against bioterrorism. But in the wake of
the Sept. 11 strikes in New York and Virginia, the county is familiarizing
itself with the scenario once again.
-
- "We
think it is appropriate emergency preparedness," said county health
officer Carol Garvey. "We could have a flu epidemic that could be as
disastrous as the attack."
-
- The
preparation for a chemical or biological attack -- in the works for
three years in Montgomery County -- swung into high gear at the
county and state level following the carnage at the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon.
-
- Within
hours, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene activated a series
of steps.
-
- All
counties were asked to take stock of their antibiotics and pharmaceuticals and
send counts to the state.
-
- The
state sent letters and e-mails to all private physicians and hospitals,
urging them to step up monitoring and maintain "a high level of
suspicion" about symptoms that seemed out of the ordinary, unusual X-rays
or an unexpected spike in emergency room patients.
-
- "We
are in a state of heightened alert," Julia Casini, medical coordinator for
emergency preparedness and response at the Maryland Health and Mental Hygiene
department, said Tuesday. "Even if the threat is zero, the outcome would
be significant.
-
- "We
are not playing with the odds," she said.
-
- The water supply
-
- Neither
is the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, the Laurel utility that
supplies water to about 1.6 million customers in Montgomery and Prince George's
counties.
-
- The
utility is maintaining round-the-clock security at all its
facilities -- reservoirs, filtration and wastewater treatment
plants -- until further notice, said spokeswoman Liz Kalinowski. In
Montgomery County, WSSC has a reservoir in Gaithersburg, a filtration plant in
Potomac, two
- wastewater
treatment plants in Damascus and Germantown, a dam in Brookeville and a
laboratory in Silver Spring.
-
- A
handful of customers has called WSSC, asking: Is the water safe? Are you taking
security measures?
-
- "We
are taking all appropriate steps to safeguard the water," Kalinowski said,
saying the utility runs about 600,000 laboratory tests annually to ensure water
quality.
-
- Casini
said she is "fairly confident" about water safety.
-
- "It
is extraordinarily difficult to contaminate water supplies," said Casini,
who holds a medical degree.
-
- The
huge amounts of water in reservoirs, for instance, would dilute any chemicals
added to it, she said.
-
- And
if a biological agent were added to the reservoir, it would not last long, she
predicted.
-
- "Bacteria
don't do well in sunlight."
-
- Metro is testing
-
- Just
as customers have been calling WSSC about their water worries, some have called
the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to ask if Metro is safe to
ride.
-
- Could
the Sarin nerve gas attack that killed 12 in Tokyo's crowded subway in 1995
happen here?
-
- "We
have an aggressive, proactive, ongoing detection program for chemical testing
in our Metro system," said Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. The testing
has been in place since 1999, making Metro one of the few transit agencies in
the county with such a program, she said.
-
- Farbstein
said she could not discuss the testing details because she is wary of giving
out too much information.
-
- That
sentiment is echoed by WSSC's Kalinowski and the state's Casini. In this
changed world, caution is the watchword. "We are walking around
nervously," Casini said.
-
- Farbstein
noted that Metro also has 300 police officers patrolling the system. Some are
highly visible, sporting reddish pink fluorescent vests; other plainclothes
officers are blending in with the crowds, she said.
-
- Many
are putting in additional hours, working 12-hour shifts instead of eight-hour
ones since Sept. 11.
-
- An
attack in Metro would pose unique problems, said Montgomery County's Fire
Marshal and Bureau Chief Theodore Jarboe.
-
- "It
is underground, confined, with limited access and a lot of people," Jarboe
said. "It is more challenging for responders."
-
- The germs
-
- County
and state officials are concerned about anthrax and a host of other agents that
terrorists could make into weapons: smallpox, the plague, botulism and the
Ebola virus.
-
- Anthrax,
normally found in cattle, kills more than 85 percent of the people infected.
Antibiotics are effective only if they are given before the symptoms appear,
Garvey said.
-
- Vaccines
against anthrax are available only to the military. However, the county can
request vaccines from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in
an emergency, Garvey said. The military hospital is one of two military
hospitals -- the other being the National Naval
- Medical
Center in Bethesda -- that sit on a hospital committee in the
county's emergency management group.
-
- While
anthrax cannot be spread from person to person, smallpox is extremely
contagious. The virus was eradicated in 1980, but samples remain with the
federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and in Koltsovo, Russia.
Smallpox is fatal in 30 percent of unvaccinated people.
-
- The
United States stopped smallpox vaccinations in 1972, so many people are
extremely vulnerable to an attack, Garvey said. CDC holds a stock of smallpox
vaccine, whose estimates range from 7 million doses at the low end to 12
million to 15 million at the high end. More are in
- production
by a private company.
-
- But
Casini said it requires a great deal of sophistication to aerosolize --
or convert into a mist form -- agents such as anthrax.
-
- And
dispersing the agent -- whether biological or chemical --
is not an easy task.
-
- This
week, the Federal Aviation Administration briefly grounded cropduster planes
for a second time after authorities found a cropdusting manual in a suspected
terrorist hideout.
-
- "No
one is saying it couldn't be done," said Donald Vandrey, spokesman for the
Maryland Department of Agriculture, which licenses cropdusters. "But it's
not as simple as dumping something in the tank and starting to spray."
-
- In
Maryland, 57 individuals from 18 firms are licensed to perform cropdusting. The
department issues licenses to individuals only after they complete mandatory
training with the state, Vandrey said.
-
- "Cropdusters
are calibrated and designed to handle very specific chemicals," he said,
saying anyone who tried to load chemicals into a cropduster tank could end up
killing himself. "It is not the easiest way to perform terrorism."
-
- The
same applies to mosquito-spraying trucks, he said. The state owns 12 to
15 trucks and hires sprayers on a seasonal basis.
-
- Immediate vs. insidious
-
- Montgomery
County's response to a chemical or biological attack will vary depending on
what form it takes and what agent is used.
-
- A
chemical attack -- such as nerve gas -- will be
apparent immediately, Garvey said. The fire department will be the first to
respond, followed by police.
-
- A
biological attack will be more insidious: Patients will arrive at emergency
rooms over a period of days. The incubation period for smallpox, for instance,
is 12 to 14 days after infection.
-
- Doctors
at hospital emergency rooms will be the first to detect something unusual and
will report any out-of- the-ordinary pattern to the county
health department. The county will alert the state, which will notify the
Centers for Disease Control, said Richard Helfrich, senior administrator for
emergency management at the Montgomery County Health and Human Services
Department.
-
- The
county also will inform police, who will get in touch with the Federal Bureau
of Investigation.
-
- Meanwhile,
the county's Emergency Management Group will have swung into action, activating
the Emergency Operations Center in Rockville.
-
- Just
as they did in November's drill, officials will have to make quick decisions:
Do we move people out of the area? Do we quarantine those affected?
-
- If
the county's stock of antibiotics runs out, the state will call on neighboring
counties to ship in more.
-
- As
a last resort, the governor would have the option of calling on the federal
government to send "push-packages" from a national stockpile of
pharmaceuticals -- parcels of medication and equipment that could
be flown in from the closest military bases, just as they were sent to New York
City two weeks ago.
-
- Simultaneously,
hospitals would begin clearing beds for mass casualties.
-
- Hospitals prepared?
-
- The
concern is that hospitals in the state do not have the surge capacity that they
had 20 years ago.
- Hospitals
are grappling with financial pressures and "just-in-time
staffing," said Monica Schoch-Spana, a medical anthropologist and
research associate at Johns Hopkins University's Center for Civilian Biodefense
in Baltimore. "If there is anything out of the norm of the projected load,
they are unable to cope."
-
- In
Montgomery County, officials faced a true test Sept. 11 on how quickly they
could mobilize hospital beds. Within three hours of the attacks on the World
Trade Center, the county's five hospitals freed up 174 beds. Forty more were
available in the next hour, Garvey said. In addition, three trauma teams stood
at the ready at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, the county's designated trauma
hospital.
-
- Montgomery
County is "very far ahead of the curve," said the state's Casini,
noting that the county's proximity to Washington warrants that level of
preparedness.
-
- On
Thursday, the county and state kicked off a three-day bioterrorism
conference at the University of Maryland Shady Grove Center in Rockville --
its second in two years.
-
- The
Sept. 11 hijackings were "a tremendous wake-up call to the nation
that terrorism is still alive and the U.S. is vulnerable," fire marshal
Jarboe said before the conference. "It reinforces the need for emergency
responders throughout the country to prepare."
-
- The
conference attracted about 180 people from 19 states and Canada, including
firefighters, FBI agents and public health officials.
-
- "It
tragically comes at a time when we are reminded of the multiple hazards out
there," Montgomery County's chief administrative officer, Bruce F. Romer,
said minutes before he headed into the conference, which was closed to the
public because of the technical and
- sometimes
confidential nature of the discussions.
-
- The
county has been reviewing all its emergency preparation procedures since Sept.
11, Romer said.
-
- "The
citizens should be comforted -- our public safety personnel have
long placed a high value on preparedness."
-
- Still,
Schoch-Spana wondered if the nation's public health systems could handle
the mass casualties that could result from a biological attack.
-
- "As
a public health practitioner, I feel satisfied that public health [departments]
can deal with low-end outbreaks," she said, recalling a 1984
incident in The Dalles, Ore. Members of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh cult
contaminated salad bars in 10 restaurants with salmonella germs and caused
hundreds of people to fall ill. "As a society, we have to try and see what
steps we need to take to deal with large-scale scenarios."
-
- She
referred to a 1993 analysis by the congressional Office of Technology
Assessment: One hundred kilograms of anthrax released upwind in a major city
could kill between 130,000 and 3 million people, depending on the weather and
other variables.
-
- Washington,
D.C., was the model.
-
- Copyright C. 2000
Gazette Newspapers
-
-
-
- Big Push to Accelerate
Vaccine Effort
-
- By
Melody Petersen and Andrew Pollack
- New York Times
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- With
concerns growing about the threat of terrorism using biological weapons, the
government is
- stepping
up its effort to enlist biotechnology companies to develop and produce
vaccines, drugs and other defenses against such an attack, according to
industry executives.
-
- But
many of the projects, like the manufacture of a smallpox vaccine, are years
from completion.
-
- The
Biotechnology Industry Organization, the main trade group for biotechnology
companies, sent out an "urgent official request for information" on
Monday after meetings with Tommy G. Thompson, the health and human services
secretary, and Department of Defense officials. The request asks the roughly
1,000 members what technologies they have that could be used to defend against
biological or chemical attacks.
-
- The
letter also said the government wanted to make sure companies were safeguarding
their own
- technology
from being used to create biological agents. Specifically it urged that
procedures be set up to raise an alert if the companies get an unusual order
for their products.
-
- Carl
B. Feldbaum, president of the trade group, said the response to the letter had
been
- "overwhelming,"
though he would not discuss the content of the answers.
-
- Even
before the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the government had
begun working with a number of biotechnology companies. Last year the
Department of Health and Human Services gave a $343 million contract to OraVax
(news/quote), a company in Cambridge, Mass., to produce 40 million doses of a
new smallpox vaccine. But the first doses are not expected to be delivered
until 2004.
-
- Executives
at the company, which is now owned by Acambis (news/quote), a British drug
maker, said they would try to speed up manufacture of the vaccine if the
government asked, but would not say to what degree they could do that.
-
- "Certain
things are in our control and certain things are not," said Gordon
Cameron, the chief financial officer at Acambis. "This is a new vaccine
that has to be tested."
-
- The
Defense Department has paid for the production of an anthrax vaccine for
soldiers for years, but that program has been plagued by problems. Bioport, a
Lansing, Mich., company, now has the government contract, but it is currently
unable to produce the vaccine because its factory is being renovated to meet
Food and Drug Administration standards.
-
- Last
year, the Defense Department entered into a research partnership with EluSys
Therapeutics, a small private company in Pine Brook, N.J., to develop an
antidote to anthrax. "You will never have the entire population of the
United States vaccinated against these problems so you need to have a therapeutic
available," said Stephen G. Sudovar, president. But even if the company
succeeds in its research, the antidote will not be available for about two
years, he said.
-
- The
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, an arm of the Pentagon, is working
with academic scientists and more than a dozen other companies on research that
could take a decade to bear fruit.
-
- Isis
Pharmaceuticals (news/quote) in Carlsbad, Calif., for instance, is working on
drugs that could kill all bacteria. Egea Biosciences of San Diego is working on
ways to quickly develop vaccines to any pathogen. Cepheid of Sunnyvale, Calif.,
is working on a briefcase-size machine that could perform a genetic
analysis to identify an infectious agent in 30 minutes, rather than the hours
or days such a job normally takes.
-
- After
the terrorist attacks, the government is likely to increase spending on
defenses against biological warfare. Two days after the attacks, the Army
called Bruker Daltonics (news/quote) to see if the company was prepared to manufacture
many more of its bioagent detection machines than were included in a $10
million contract the government had just signed.
-
- "They
are getting ready to react," said Frank H. Laukien, president of Bruker,
based in Billerica, Mass.
-
- In
the past, the Pentagon has had trouble working with vaccine manufacturers.
Wyeth Laboratories, a division of American Home Products (news/quote), stopped
producing the adenovirus vaccine for military recruits in 1996 after the
Pentagon declined to pay for factory improvements needed to meet safety
standards. Wyeth was unwilling to invest itself since sales of the vaccine,
made only for the Defense Department, were tiny and dwindling. The military ran
out of the vaccine in 1999 and there has been a surge in respiratory illnesses
among military recruits, including two deaths. A new contract to produce the
vaccine has now been awarded to Barr Laboratories (news/quote), an Army
spokesman said.
-
- Given
that big drug companies are reluctant to make vaccines because of the small market
size, the Pentagon has been considering building its own vaccine plant to
produce eight vaccines for military use — the existing anthrax vaccine and a
new one, plus vaccines for smallpox, plague, tularemia, botulinum, ricin and
equine encephalitis. It would cost $1.56 billion to build and run over 25
years, including $386 million in construction costs, the department estimated
in a report to Congress in July. But production at the plant would not begin
until 2008. David Satcher, the surgeon general, wrote to the Pentagon in
January urging that the factory also be used to produce vaccines for civilian
use.
-
- In
contrast with the large drug companies, smaller biotech companies have welcomed
the Pentagon contracts because they provide money and because many of the
projects can lead to commercial products.
-
- "For
the research programs here it was our largest single source of funding,"
said Matthew M. Loar, vice president for finance at Genelabs Technology Inc. in
Redwood City, Calif. Genelabs had a $14 million three-year grant from the
research projects agency to use the company's DNA-binding technology to
develop antimicrobial drugs. The company is using the technology to develop
commercial antibiotics.
-
- Experts
say it is vital for companies and scientists to become involved in developing
vaccines and other defenses against bioterrorism. At a Senate hearing in the
summer, Dr. Tara O'Toole, a senior fellow at the Center for Civilian Biodefense
Studies at Johns Hopkins University, said that responding to bioterrorism with
only the vaccines and drugs now available would be like "asking
firefighters to battle a 12-alarm blaze without water or foam."
-
- Copyright 2001 The New
York Times Company
-
-
-
- County, municipalities
set meeting to discuss emergency readiness
-
- by
Greg Johnson
- Prince George’s Gazette Staff Writer
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- County
officials are set to meet with municipal leaders next month to discuss
improving the ways emergencies are handled in Prince George's County.
-
- Jack
Sims, mayor of District Heights, said Monday other municipal leaders have
contacted him since the attack on the Pentagon Sept. 11 and asked to meet with
emergency officials from the county. A conference has been tentatively
scheduled for Oct. 15, Sims said, and would include municipal officials as well
as members of the county's office of emergency preparedness.
-
- "I
think the terrorism issue changes the dynamics of emergency preparedness and I
think we have to focus on that issue," Sims said. "We'll get around
the table and come up with some type of plan."
-
- Fred
Thomas, director of public safety for the county, said he would attend the
meeting next month.
-
- Thomas
said the county already has an extensive plan for large-scale disasters.
This policy would not be able to prevent an attack like the one launched
against the Pentagon, he said, but it does provide for other agencies to
support county departments called to the scene.
-
- "No
one jurisdiction can handle that type (of catastrophe)," Thomas said.
-
- Thomas
said the county's emergency preparedness plan was updated for Y2K and also
includes tips learned from a disaster drill organized by federal officials last
year.
-
- In
May 2000, Prince George's County emergency personnel participated in a regional
exercise called "Topoff." The drill reportedly involved a scenario in
which a bomb exploded at US Air Arena in Largo.
-
- The
county's emergency response was further tested Monday when a tornado ripped
across Prince George's County from College Park to Laurel, killing two
University of Maryland students and damaging dozens of buildings. University
officials said more than 300 cars in parking lots
- on
the west side of the campus were damaged or destroyed by the storm.
-
- More
than 200 county fire and rescue crewmembers were dispatched to sites in College
Park, Beltsville and Laurel after the tornado touched down about 5:45 p.m.
Emergency personnel from Anne Arundel, Howard and Montgomery also responded.
-
- At
the meeting next month, Thomas said, officials could develop a way to
coordinate county policies with the actions of municipal governments.
- Under
the current plan, only leaders from the area directly affected by an emergency
can participate in the regional response.
-
- "Those
are the kinds of things we're going to talk about," Thomas said.
-
- The
October meeting was organized after public safety officials in the District
were criticized for their seemingly inadequate response to the terrorist threat
Sept. 11. Congress reportedly voted to withhold about $9 million slated for the
District's use until the city government overhauled its emergency plan.
-
- According
to news reports, government cellular phones failed because the system was
jammed, District police had no idea which roads to close to evacuate the city
and emergency escape plans on Capitol Hill were never implemented.
-
- Rep.
Steny Hoyer, (D-Dist. 5), has been working with the U.S. Capitol Police
as head of the House Administration Committee. Hoyer, of Mechanicsville, said
in a statement released Monday that security procedures need to be evaluated at
all federal buildings in the area.
-
- "The
events of September 11th were a wake-up call for communities that they
must think about the unthinkable and be prepared to respond," Hoyer said.
-
- County
Councilman M.H. "Jim" Estepp, (D-Dist. 9) of Croom, said he did
not think the county's fire department is prepared to handle large-scale
emergencies.
-
- "I
think they are under-funded," Estepp said during an interview last
week. "I think we are under-prepared to some extent because of the
cuts that were made to the fire and (emergency medical) services in the mid-90s."
-
- However,
Thomas said the fire department had been given adequate funds and agencies in
other jurisdictions would help bolster the county's response to any major
emergency.
-
- "That's
the whole concept behind a mutual-aid agreement," Thomas said.
-
- Copyright C. 2000
Gazette Newspapers
-
-
-
- Fewer lacked health
insurance in U.S. last year
- But
slumping economy likely to reverse trend
-
- Associated
Press
- Baltimore Sun
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- WASHINGTON
- Fewer Americans lacked health insurance last year, as a then-robust
economy and government programs helped more children and poor people get
coverage.
-
- About
14 percent of Americans, or 38.7 million people, were without coverage during
the entire year of 2000, down from 14.3 percent, or 39.3 million, in 1999, the
Census Bureau reported today.
-
- With
unemployment low during that period, more people were able to get insurance
through their employers. And analysts said more lower-income families and
kids picked up coverage through programs like Medicaid and the Child Health
Insurance Program.
-
- But
the overall downward trend is likely to reverse this year as the economy
struggles, said Ron Pollock, executive director of the consumer group Families
USA.
-
- "As
the worsening economy and the repercussions of Sept. 11 result in many people
losing jobs, health coverage relief becomes increasingly urgent," Pollock
said.
-
- Since
the terrorist attacks, more than 100,000 layoffs have been announced in the
airlines and related industries.
-
- "It
is time to make expanded health coverage, especially through existing public
programs, an important national priority," Pollock said.
-
- Much
of the decrease in the number of uninsured Americans was due to more people
getting coverage through employers, said bureau analyst Robert Mills.
-
- And
while long-held disparities still existed between whites and minority
groups, and the rich and poor, some positive signs emerged, Pollock said.
-
- Among
the findings:
-
- 29.5
percent of poor Americans were uninsured in 2000, down from 31.1 percent in
1999.
-
- 11.6
percent of children younger than 18 were uninsured, down from 12.6 percent.
-
- Much
of those gains came as a result of the children's health program initiated in
1997, and Medicaid, said Steven Findlay, research director at the National
Institute for Health Care Management.
- Those
programs may become even more critical in the coming weeks and months for
struggling laid-off workers, Findlay said.
-
- Discouraging
signs about the affordability of quality health care arose even before the
terrorist attacks, some experts noted.
-
- For
instance, a report released this week by the Center for Studying Health System
Change found the cost of health care jumped 7.2 percent last year - the
largest increase in a decade.
-
- Premiums
increased 11 percent, according to the study from the Washington-based
independent research organization.
-
- "Everyone
is hoping to see some dramatic turnaround," Findlay said. "But all
the forces at play here would point to a decline" in the number of people
with health insurance.
-
- The
census figures came from a survey of 50,000 households taken in March that was
separate from the 2000 head count.
-
- Because
of a change in the questions asked on the survey, the latest results were not
comparable to any figures before 1999, the bureau said.
-
- Other
findings:
-
- American
Indian and Alaska Natives were the least likely among minority groups to have
health insurance.
-
- By
age, people 18 to 24 were least likely to be insured. Many of these people are
in college or are just starting out in jobs that may not offer health coverage
right away.
-
- Copyright © 2001, The
Baltimore Sun
-
-
-
- 'Desperately ill' man
receives third mechanical heart
- Patient
in stable shape at Houston hospital
-
- Associated
Press
- Baltimore Sun
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- HOUSTON
- A "desperately ill" man has become the world's third
recipient of a self-contained mechanical heart after a six-hour
operation.
-
- The
procedure Wednesday at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston comes after the
success of two implants of the AbioCor device at Jewish Hospital in Louisville,
Ky.
-
- "The
procedure ... went as expected and the patient is resting comfortably,"
the hospital said in a statement yesterday.
-
- "It
couldn't have gone better," Dr. O.H. Frazier, who spent more than a decade
helping develop the AbioCor replacement heart at the hospital's Texas Heart
Institute, told The Houston Chronicle.
-
- "Everything
looks stable now. He's not having any problems. We have some hope for
him."
-
- No chance of transplant
-
- He
told the newspaper the man had been "desperately ill for a long time"
with heart failure and was not a candidate for a heart transplant because of
complications involving his lungs.
-
- The
completely internal pump, made of plastic and titanium and weighing less than 2
pounds, is powered through the skin by an external battery pack.
-
- The
hospital did not identify the patient or give his age and said it would
withhold any information about the patient for at least 30 days.
-
- Officials
said a news briefing was planned for today to discuss the procedure.
-
- University
of Louisville surgeons implanted the first AbioCor hearts on July 2 and Sept.
13 at Jewish Hospital in Kentucky.
-
- The
first patient, Bob Tools, is now in his 87th day.
-
- He
is gaining weight and making excursions outside the hospital. Doctors said his
kidneys, liver and lungs are functioning normally.
-
- Tom
Christerson, 14 days removed from the surgery, is still in the early stages of
recovery, but doctors said his condition is improving.
- The
heart, made by Massachusetts-based Abiomed Inc., is intended for patients
with end-stage heart failure who have more than a 70 percent chance of
dying within a month.
-
- The
AbioCor study is initially limited to five people nationwide. Other approved
sites in addition to the Houston and Louisville facilities include Brigham and
Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, both in Boston, and UCLA
Medical Center in Los Angeles.
-
- Copyright © 2001, The
Baltimore Sun
-
-
-
- FDA approves first
genetic test for mutating HIV
-
- Baltimore Sun
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- The
government has approved the first gene-based test to tell quickly whether
an HIV patient's virus is mutating to make a particular drug therapy fail,
important to know so the person can switch AIDS medications.
-
- Visible
Genetics Inc.'s Trugene is one of the most complex genetic test systems to
clear the Food and Drug Administration. FDA officials described it yesterday as
an important tool in helping doctors select the medications most likely to
fight each patient's HIV.
-
- The
AIDS virus naturally grows resistant to medications through evolution. Experts
say 60 percent of patients have a virus that is resistant to at least one drug.
-
- Copyright © 2001, The
Baltimore Sun
-
-
-
- CDC backs Nov. flu shots
for healthy, citing shortage
-
- Baltimore Sun
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- ATLANTA
- The federal government asked doctors yesterday to wait until at least
November to give flu shots to healthy people because of delays in manufacturing
the vaccine.
-
- The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said this year's batch of flu
vaccine appears to be well-matched to the strains of the virus circling
the globe. Because flu strains are unpredictable, different vaccines must be
cooked up each year.
-
- The
recommendation to limit early shots comes during the second straight year of
delays by the three private companies that make the vaccine as they struggle to
expand.
-
- Copyright © 2001, The
Baltimore Sun
-
-
-
- Judge finds no
violations of mental patients' rights
-
- By
Michael Scarcella
- Baltimore Sun Staff
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- A
lawsuit brought against the state by a dozen psychiatric patients claiming that
institutionalization violated rights guaranteed them under the federal
Americans with Disabilities Act was rejected yesterday by a U.S. District Court
judge more than three years after the case was tried.
-
- The
12 plaintiffs - described as "traumatically brain injured" or
"nonretarded developmentally disabled" - sought to be removed
from state psychiatric facilities on grounds that they were not beneficial to
treatment and violated their due process rights, said Philip J. Fornaci,
executive director of the Maryland Disability Law Center, which represented
them.
-
- "Psychiatric
hospitals did not make them any better," Fornaci said last night.
"They were regressing. They were being warehoused, not
rehabilitated."
-
- The
federal law states that no person with disabilities can be excluded from
participation in, or denied the benefits of, public services and programs. The
plaintiffs argued that they were being denied community-based programs
based on their disabilities, Fornaci said.
-
- The
causes of their mental conditions included a head injury in a motorcycle
accident, genetically based developmental disorders and a bacterial infection
that led to severe brain damage.
-
- The
state, in its defense, said the brain injuries incurred by the plaintiffs
"have rendered them very difficult to care for" and that they had
symptoms including "low frustration tolerance, proneness to irritability,
[and] difficulty planning and directing behavior."
-
- Judge
Catherine C. Blake's 84-page opinion noted that the trial lasted 32 days
and that the case "raises complex medical, social and fiscal issues not
easily addressed by litigation."
-
- She
found that the plaintiffs had failed to provide sufficient evidence that
community treatment was more beneficial and cost-effective than
institutional care.
-
- "The
plaintiffs' pain and frustration was genuine and understandable; the
defendants' efforts to provide a stable, safe, and caring environment also were
genuine and commendable, if not always successful," she wrote.
-
- "The
state has managed to make them seem like monsters," Fornaci said of the
mental patients. "What's made them difficult is that they don't belong in
state psychiatric facilities."
-
- Copyright © 2001, The
Baltimore Sun
-
-
-
- Pastor set to tackle
HIV/AIDS issues
- Reverend
Warnock to be installed Sunday at Douglas Memorial; HIV, AIDS are priorities
-
- By
Laurie Willis
- Baltimore Sun Staff
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- In
the hectic days before being installed as leader of a major urban church, many
pastors would be crafting sermons, neatly pressing suits and robes, or ironing
out last-minute details.
-
- The
Rev. Raphael Gamaliel Warnock, due to be installed Sunday as pastor of Douglas
Memorial Community Church in West Baltimore, has been doing what he does best:
tackling tough issues.
-
- At
Warnock's insistence, the 700-member church plans to open a weekend of
installation events with discussion of what he sees as one of the churches'
albatrosses: HIV and AIDS. Today, at an early morning news conference at the
church, Warnock plans to challenge Baltimore clergy to urge their congregations
to get tested for the virus -- and to get tested themselves.
-
- Then,
he'll participate in a daylong symposium: "The Black Church's Response to
the HIV/AIDS Epidemic."
-
- "Everything
I do is theologically and biblically informed," Warnock said this week
from his study. "The Old Testament prophet Hosea said, 'My people are
destroyed for lack of knowledge.' I am saying that that is literally the case
with regard to HIV/AIDS. People do not know what they need to know about the
virus itself, and they do not know their HIV status. If the clergy went to get
tested en masse, we could create a climate where you remove the stigma."
-
- At
32, Warnock is young to lead one of the city's largest churches. But he comes
from spiritual stock.
-
- He
was born in Savannah, Ga., the 11th of 12 children born to two Pentecostal-Holiness
ministers. He came to Douglas Memorial early this year from the historic
Abyssinian Baptist Church of New York, where he had been youth pastor for six
years and assistant pastor for four years.
-
- The
Rev. Calvin Butts, pastor of Abyssinian, said he wasn't surprised Warnock was
hired.
-
- "He's
one of the brightest and most intelligent and academically prepared young
clergymen in the country," Butts said. "He got along excellently with
the church members of all ages. He's a forceful leader, very serious about the
issues that impact especially the African-American community. He's one of
the more thoughtful preachers of his generation."
-
- Warnock
replaces the Rev. Brad R. Braxton, who left after five years in July of last
year to teach at Wake Forest University, making him the fourth pastor in
Douglas Memorial's 76-year history.
-
- He
was selected after a national search, said Marco K. Merrick, director of the
church's gospel choir and a search-committee member.
-
- "Our
goal was to bring the best candidate to the congregation based on what we
believe, based on what the congregation imparted to us in a survey,"
Merrick said. "Reverend Warnock excelled in every category. What he
imparted with us was very memorable, very indelible."
-
- As
part of the installation celebrations, Warnock and other Douglas Memorial
members will attend a pastoral installation banquet at 6 p.m. tomorrow at the
Renaissance Harborplace Hotel. Actor Ossie Davis will be speaker.
-
- Warnock
earned a degree in psychology from Morehouse College in 1991, a master's degree
in divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York in 1994, and a master's
degree in systematic theology from Union last year.
-
- Warnock
said he sees issues in Baltimore that he wants to address --
including urban blight and high rates of sexually transmitted diseases and drug
addiction.
-
- As
part of his vision for Douglas, Warnock wants to attract support from
corporations and foundations to expand Camp Farthest Out, a 50-acre
facility in Carroll County that provides a residential camp experience for
disadvantaged children.
-
- Warnock
also said he hopes to expand Douglas' community outreach.
-
- "I
think you will see over the next few years a Douglas Church that is very much
engaged in the social and political life of the Baltimore community," he
said. "Whether the issue is HIV/AIDS or the education of our children, we
will bring the moral authority of the faith community to bear in the critical
discourse that takes place in the public square."
-
- Copyright © 2001, The
Baltimore Sun
-
-
-
- Boy, 5, recovering from
bacterial meningitis
-
- Baltimore Sun
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- A
5-year-old pupil at Medfield Heights Elementary School was
recovering yesterday from bacterial meningitis, the city Health Department
said.
-
- Health
officials reassured parents that the potentially fatal disease, which attacks
the brain and spinal cord, is unlikely to have spread to classmates. It is
spread through saliva. The disease killed two students last year in Maryland,
one of high school age, the other in college.
-
- "Just
having an [infected] 5-year-old in your class is no reason to
worry," said Dr. Peter L. Beilenson, the city health commissioner. The
child began feeling feverish Monday night and was taken to St. Joseph Medical
Center in Towson. He should be able to go home in a week or so, Beilenson said.
-
- Copyright © 2001, The Baltimore
Sun
-
-
-
- Grants offered to
programs to prevent substance abuse
-
- Baltimore Sun
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- Towson
- Baltimore County Department of Health is making available grants up to
$2,000 for community and faith-based substance abuse prevention programs.
-
- Possible
projects include alternative recreational activities for children, after-school
programs, parent training classes and peer-to-peer programs.
Priority will be given to programs needing start-up funding.
-
- A
total of $25,000 will be available. Applications may be obtained by calling the
department's Bureau of Substance Abuse at 410-887-3828. The
application deadline is Dec. 14.
-
- Copyright © 2001, The
Baltimore Sun
-
-
-
- Flu Is Due; So Are Lots
of Shots
- But
vaccine availability should still go to the vulnerable first, say health
officials
-
- By
Adam Marcus, HealthScoutNews Reporter
- USA Today
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- THURSDAY,
Sept. 27 (HealthScoutNews) -- With the flu virus percolating
quietly in scattered states across the nation, disease officials reiterated
their call for healthy Americans to allow more vulnerable people first access
to the vaccine as it arrives.
-
- The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it expects the nation's three
flu shot makers to produce 79 million doses of vaccine this year, but the
batches won't be readily available until sometime in October. Even then, only
about 56 percent of doses will be shipped by the end of the month, officials
say. The rest will come in November and December when virus activity typically
- peaks.
-
- A
new report from the CDC shows sporadic reports of both influenza A and B
strains this summer, with B predominating. Confirmed cases of flu cropped up in
Alaska, Michigan, Missouri, Texas and Hawaii.
-
- Each
year flu kills about 20,000 people in this country. Although the vaccine is an
important line of defense against the virus, it doesn't offer a guarantee
against infection.
-
- In
July, before vaccine availability was clear, disease officials had recommended
that the most vulnerable people -- nursing home residents, people
over 65, pregnant women and people of any age with lung or heart problems or
weakened immune systems -- get vaccinated as early as September.
That plan has been pushed back a few weeks.
-
- "As
soon as the vaccine becomes available, those at high risk should proceed with
getting it," says Curtis Allen, a CDC spokesman. Allen says people who
want to get immunized should call their doctor or local health department to
find out whether the flu shots have arrived.
-
- Under
the vaccination guidelines released in July, flu shots should be made available
in November for those who come into contact with high-risk people, those
who are between the ages of 50 and 64, and others who'd like to reduce their
risk of catching the disease. The last wave of injections are intended for
everyone else, but particularly high-risk groups that missed the first
two rounds.
-
- Len
Lavenda, a spokesman for vaccine maker Aventis Pasteur Inc., says the
Swiftwater, Pa., firm is on schedule with its delivery plan and has already
begun shipping doses of its Fluzone product to doctors and other providers. By
tomorrow, he says, Aventis will have distributed 25 percent of the 44 million
doses it intends to produce this year.
-
- "The
CDC recommendations start in October, but there is quite a bit of vaccine
already out there," Lavenda says.
-
- Lavenda
blamed last year's delays in vaccine availability in part on the withdrawal
from the market of Parkdale Pharmaceuticals, one of the then-four flu
shot makers, just months before the virus season began.
-
- "Obviously
we knew that Parkdale was not coming back, so we expanded capacity by about 20
percent over last year to fill in the void left by their departure,"
Lavenda says.
-
-
-
- West Nile Found in Crow
in Charles
-
- Washington Post
- Friday,
September 28, 2001; Page B03
-
- A
dead crow found in Waldorf has tested positive for West Nile virus, marking the
first reported case in Charles County this year.
-
- The
bird was collected on Monday from the 3000 block of Out of Place and was tested
at a Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene laboratory on Tuesday.
-
- Officials
reported that 391 birds have tested positive for the virus out of 1,242 tested
this year in Maryland. Of those, 200 came from the city of Baltimore. Infected
birds have also been found in Anne Arundel, Carroll, Frederick, Harford,
Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's and Baltimore counties.
-
- West
Nile virus is carried by mosquitoes and is most often found in birds bitten by
infected insects. The virus is rarely a threat to humans, though the elderly
and infirm are at an increased risk of becoming ill from exposure. Nationwide,
there have been about two dozen cases in humans this year, with one fatality,
in Atlanta last month. In Maryland, five people are believed to have been made
ill by the virus this year.
-
-
-
- Challenge to Confinement
by Md. Rejected
- Disabled
Plaintiffs' Rights Not Violated, Judge Rules in Seven-Year-Old Case
-
- By
Susan Levine
- Washington Post Staff Writer
- Friday,
September 28, 2001; Page B05
-
- Seven
years after a dozen developmentally delayed men and women claimed in a lawsuit
that Maryland was unnecessarily confining them in state mental hospitals, a
federal judge ruled yesterday that institutional care did not violate their
constitutional rights or the Americans With Disabilities Act.
-
- U.S.
District Judge Catherine C. Blake said that neither the Constitution nor the
sweeping ADA required the state to treat such individuals in the community --
even when medical professionals considered that setting more appropriate.
-
- Her
opinion, 84 pages of review and reasoning, reflected the many questions posed
by the class action.
-
- "It
is unfortunate that decision-makers on both sides were not able to reach
a mutually acceptable resolution of this case years ago," she wrote in a note
at the beginning.
-
- She
said in conclusion: "The evidence spread before the court reflected
contrasting perspectives on a very difficult set of circumstances. The
plaintiffs' pain and frustration was genuine and understandable; the
defendants' efforts to provide a stable, safe, and caring environment also were
genuine and commendable, if not always successful.
-
- "In
the end," she wrote, "the plaintiffs have not shown sufficient reason
for the court to order the State of Maryland to do more."
-
- Maryland
officials had maintained that they had met their legal obligations by providing
care in the state psychiatric hospitals while simultaneously expanding
community-based treatment for these and other groups of disabled
residents.
-
- They
also contended that accommodating the plaintiffs more speedily would force a
"fundamental alteration" in their program that would be unmanageably
expensive. Blake agreed, judging that the state's progress was legally
acceptable, given available resources.
-
- "It
is a complete victory for the state," said Maureen Dove, chief of
litigation in the attorney general's office.
-
- The
12 named plaintiffs included nine people with brain injuries and three with
developmental problems unrelated to mental retardation. They represented a
small class of about five dozen people in the state institutions.
-
- Often,
they were individuals with aggressiveness, confusion, memory loss and difficult
behaviors.
-
- The
judge weighed their due process rights on the basis of the food, shelter,
medical care and safety they were provided. She found none of that lacking
constitutionally.
-
- Phil
Fornaci, executive director of the Maryland Disability Law Center, could not
hide his distress last night over the case's outcome. He said the judge had
misread a fundamental aspect of the Supreme Court's 1999 Olmstead ruling, a
landmark determination that the ADA prohibits the needless segregation of
individuals with mental disabilities.
-
- "At
a more human level, for our folks and plaintiffs to have waited this long for a
decision and then have their hopes stolen from them is very
disappointing," he said.
-
- The
class action was filed in 1994 by the Maryland Disability Law Center. Testimony
proceeded on a stop-start schedule for four years, with closing arguments
also delayed. Since 1999, the case now styled Williams et al v. Wasserman had
been in limbo awaiting the judge's ruling -- making it one of the
longest-running cases on the federal docket in Baltimore.
-
- © 2001 The Washington
Post Company
-
-
-
- Bioterrorism
Vulnerability Cited
- GAO
Warns That Health Departments Are Ill-Equipped
-
- By
Ceci Connolly
- Washington Post Staff Writer
- Friday,
September 28, 2001; Page A16
-
- The
federal government's plan for responding to bioterrorism is a collection of
poorly coordinated, often underfunded, projects that span 11 separate Cabinet-level
agencies, according to the first comprehensive report on the subject since the
Sept. 11 attacks.
-
- Further,
the study by the General Accounting Office warns that state and local health
departments appear equally unprepared to deal with a biological assault,
despite the fact they are likely to be the first to respond.
-
- "Bioterrorism
remains a low probability, but a growing probability, coupled with a high
vulnerability for our nation," said Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who,
along with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) requested the report.
-
- In
this year's budget, the Bush administration has allocated $343 million for
dealing with a biological attack, $113 million of which is for the Pentagon to
protect soldiers in the field. The rest, which amounts to less than $1 per U.S.
civilian, goes to projects as diverse as environmental assessments,
pharmaceutical stockpiles and computer upgrades.
-
- More
money is being spent by the Defense Department and other federal agencies on
prevention and detection, although Frist and Kennedy argue it is nowhere near
enough. They have urged President Bush to spend an additional $1 billion to
immediately upgrade public laboratories, train medical personnel, pursue new
vaccines and therapies and secure overseas stocks of biological weapons.
-
- "We
hope you will bear in mind the special challenges posed by biological
weapons," the pair wrote Bush. "A terrorist attack using a deadly
infectious agent could kill or sicken millions of Americans."
-
- In
the past, many have dismissed the threat of bioterrorism as unlikely because it
can be difficult to obtain, produce and deliver the deadly agents. However, the
formulas "are readily available on the Internet, and the agents are
relatively easy to conceal," the report notes. "According to
intelligence agencies, the possibility that terrorists may use chemical or
biological materials may
- increase
over the next decade."
-
- Many
of the gaps identified in the report -- lack of coordination,
questions over jurisdiction -- are endemic to the broader
challenges surrounding counterterrorism, said Jeffrey H. Smith, former counsel
to the CIA and an expert on preparedness.
-
- "But
biological weapons have unique aspects," he said. "The first unique
aspect is the fact that the response is largely a public health challenge. That
adds a layer of complexity that the others do not have."
-
- Yet
as the Bush administration readies for war and prepares to fend off future
attacks on U.S. soil, many in the health field argue it is time to elevate the
issue of bioterrorism.
-
- "We
are concerned that the grave medical and public health vulnerabilities in the
nation will be missed in the very, very rapid push to shore up the nation's
response to terrorism," said Thomas Inglesby, a senior fellow at the
Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense at Johns Hopkins University.
-
- Reading
from the Defense Department's report to Congress, he said the Pentagon spent
$264 billion to deter regional conflicts, $28 billion to protect against a
"peer" nuclear attack and $3 billion on all other biological,
chemical, cyber and nuclear assaults. Of that, he said, $250 million went to
public health systems. "It would be a mistake not to change the funding
patterns of the past," he said.
-
- The
GAO report, which is still in draft form, found that many of the federal
bioterrorism programs are still in their infancy, with little more than start-up
money.
-
- The
federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta formally began a
bioterrorism program in 1999, although the agency did not receive its first
infusion of cash -- $9.2 million -- until this fiscal
year. All told, the CDC budget includes $148 million for bioterrorism, though
much of that money is spent on developing vaccines or purchasing medications
for national
- stockpiles.
-
- As
of January 2001, not one of the National Guard's civil support teams, designed
to deploy to a contaminated area within four hours of an attack, "had
received necessary certification, and none were in use." The Pentagon
received $93 million for the teams, which have a broader mandate of responding
to attacks by all types of weapons of mass destruction.
-
- Other
critical agencies have been left out of the discussion or continue to spar
among themselves, the GAO report indicated. The departments of Transportation
and Agriculture were left out of the early planning entirely.
-
- "The
FBI and CDC each have their own list of biological agents, and these lists only
partially overlap," the report notes. "For example, CDC considers
smallpox to be a biological agent of concern, whereas the FBI does not include
smallpox on its list of biological agents likely to be used in a terrorist
attack."
-
- And
while some officials at the Department of Health and Human Services have argued
with the Pentagon and the CIA over what medications should be stored in the
National Pharmaceutical Stockpile, the Food and Drug Administration has not
been consulted at all, "despite FDA's expertise with
pharmaceuticals."
-
- The
study's authors also highlight fears that state and local agencies could not
manage a biological assault.
-
- © 2001 The Washington
Post Company
-
-
-
- Delay in Flu Shots for
the Healthy Urged
-
- Washington Post
- Friday,
September 28, 2001; Page A36
-
- The
government asked doctors yesterday to wait until at least November to give flu
shots to healthy people because of delays in the manufacture of the vaccine.
-
- The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said that this year's batch of
flu vaccine appears to be well-matched to the strains of the virus
circling the globe. Because flu strains are unpredictable, a different vaccine
must be prepared each year.
-
- The
recommendation to limit early shots comes in the second straight year of delays
by the three private companies that make the vaccine. The CDC had warned of the
delay early this summer.
-
- The
agency wants vaccine supplies that arrive in September and October to be
reserved for health care workers and people at high risk for flu, such as those
with chronic diseases.
-
- Healthy
people should wait until November and, if possible, December, the agency said.
-
- About
56 percent of this year's 79 million vaccine doses are expected to arrive by
the end of October.
-
- The
flu kills about 20,000 people a year. Those considered most at risk are people
65 and older, and those suffering from chronic illnesses such as heart and lung
diseases, asthma and diabetes.
-
- The
flu season typically peaks between January and March.
-
- Health Coverage Level Up
in 2000, Report Says
-
- The
number of people in the United States without health insurance declined in 2000
for the second year in a row, the Census Bureau estimated yesterday, and it
ascribed the drop to a rise in work-based coverage.
-
- But
after the agency recorded the increase in employment-based coverage, the
economy cooled and the labor market softened, so analysts say recent changes
are probably already pushing many people into the ranks of the uninsured.
-
- "Unfortunately,
today's new figures show where we used to be -- not where we're
headed," said Jack Faris, president of the National Federation of
Independent Business, referring to the economy's recent decline.
-
- The
data, taken from the Census Bureau's annual "Current Population
Survey" of 50,000 households, are a key element in ongoing policy debates,
not only about how to expand benefits, but also about how best to measure the
number of the uninsured.
- The
bureau said new questionnaire techniques used in the March 2000 and 2001 follow-ups
to the 1999 and 2000 population surveys in general yielded a greater estimated
level of insurance coverage than did the techniques used in previous years.
-
- The
increase in the coverage levels between 1999 and 2000, however, was independent
of the change in techniques, the bureau said.
-
- Using
the old methodology, the bureau had also recorded a drop in the number and
proportion of the uninsured between 1998 and 1999, the first since 1987.
-
- The
Census Bureau estimated that 38.7 million people, or 14 percent of the
population, were without health insurance in 2000, down from 39.3 million
people, or 14.3 percent, the previous year.
-
- -- Compiled
from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters
-
- © 2001 The Washington
Post Company
-
-
-
- Special Report:
Aftermath of Terror
- Experts
Say Bioterrorism Threat Is Real, Yet Likelihood Is Uncertain
-
- By
Laura Johannes and Marilyn Chase
- Staff
Reporters of the Wall Street Journal
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- The
attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon have raised new fears in the
U.S. about bioterrorism, the intentional release of harmful biological agents
into populated areas. Some people worry that terrorists could unleash illness
and death in epidemic proportions by dispersing smallpox, plague or other
agents into the air, food or water supplies. How real is this risk, and what is
being done to prevent it? Here are some basic questions and answers:
-
- Q:
How many harmful agents are there, and which are the biggest threats?
-
- A:
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has singled out seven
biological agents (see chart0) as the most likely to be a threat. But there are
dozens of potential biological weapons. There also are chemical weapons such as
mustard gas and nitrogen dioxide, which damage the eyes, skin and respiratory
tract and can be fatal in high doses. Sarin, a nerve toxin, killed 12 people
and injured thousands more when a Japanese cult poured it in liquid form in
Tokyo's subway in 1995. (see related article1)
-
- Q:
How easy is it to make bioterrorism agents, to store them and to disperse them?
-
- A:
Not very. Potential bioterror agents come mainly in three forms: viruses, such
as smallpox; bacteria, such as anthrax; and natural poisons, such as botulinum
toxin. For bacteria and viruses, the first hurdle is to get hold of some --
which can be quite difficult. In the case of smallpox, for example, known
storehouses are held in only two research laboratories, one in the U.S. and one
in the former Soviet Union. However, experts believe it is likely that a small
number of rogue states or terrorists may have copies of the lethal virus.
-
- Pathogens
or toxins could be placed on a warhead, sprayed from a crop-duster
airplane or snuck into the food or water supplies. But in most cases, highly
specialized knowledge would be needed to pull this off. Inhaled agents, such as
anthrax, for example, would have to be just the right size -- about
a tenth the size of a human hair -- to infiltrate the lungs.
-
- Adding
to the difficulty is that many potential bioterror agents are unstable, and
likely to lose their potency when exposed to sunlight or when immersed in
water. Botulinim toxin, one of the most potent poisons known to mankind, is
easy to get, since the bacteria which produce it are present in soil. Small
quantities of the toxin are used widely in medicines, ranging from treatments
for neurological diseases to antiwrinkle therapies. But most ordinary bacteria
don't make much botulinim, so producing large quantities would require
significant biochemical expertise. Moreover, the toxin is "very
unstable," and easily degrades when exposed to chlorine or high
temperatures, says Eric A. Johnson, professor of toxicology at the University
of Wisconsin, Madison.
- Aum
Shinrikyo, the Japanese cult, tried at least three times in the early 1990s to
disseminate biological weapons, and failed each time, says Kyle Olson, an
Alexandria, Va., consultant who follows the cult's activities closely. Two of
the unsuccessful attempts involved spraying botulinum toxin from trucks driven
around Tokyo. Most likely, says Mr. Olson, the toxin was distributed in heavy
particles that fell to the ground before they hurt anyone. The cult also
released anthrax bacteria from the roof of a Tokyo building, but that attempt
also failed to infect anyone. Most likely, Mr. Olson says, the bacteria hadn't
been turned into "spores," a condition in
which they harden to protect themselves from danger. "They probably just
hit the ground and died," he says. He notes that the cult's scientists
were generally engineers so they didn't have the expertise of trained
biochemists.
-
- Q:
How would you know if there were an attack?
-
- A:
You probably wouldn't. You might see or hear a suspicious airplane flying
overhead, but anything it dropped would be invisible. If authorities suspect an
attack, they can perform genetic and biochemical tests to find out what, if
anything, was released.
-
- Q:
Has there ever been a bioterror event in the U.S.?
-
- A:
Yes. The one documented bioterrorism attack involved domestic saboteurs, not
foreign terrorists. In September 1984, 751 residents of The Dalles, Ore., came
down with diarrhea and stomach upsets after eating at salad bars in about 10
local restaurants. After an extensive investigation, members of a religious
commune called Rajneeshpuram admitted pouring salmonella bacteria, a miserable
but usually nonlethal bug, on salads and in coffee creamer. They said they
wanted to test the bugs as a tool for incapacitating voters on Election Day.
Members of the commune were indicted, pleaded guilty and imprisoned for
poisoning the food supply in violation of federal antitampering laws.
-
- Some
scholars of bioterrorism believe such a scenario -- an attack with
consequences that would be awful but largely nonlethal -- is more
of a near-term threat than the release of a lethal agent such as anthrax
because it is technically easier to pull off. "The most likely scenario
for a biological-weapons attack [would be] food-borne or beverage-borne
attack using salmonella, shigella or staphylococcal toxins," says Raymond
Zilinskas, a senior scientist with the Monterey Institute of International
Studies in California.
-
- Q:
Should I stop drinking tap water?
-
- A:
No. Municipal water supplies are actually less vulnerable than bottled water
because, in most cases, they are treated with chlorine and filtered. Dr.
Zilinskas advises water bottlers and private food service companies to "be
careful who you hire."
-
- Q:
What harm would an attack do?
-
- A:
That would depend on what was released, and where. Ebola, since it kills
quickly, would likely harm just those immediately exposed. Smallpox, since it
takes a week or two to appear after exposure, could spread rapidly through the
population before it was detected. Routine smallpox vaccination ceased in the
U.S. in 1972, after authorities decided the risks involved in giving the
vaccine were greater than the risks of getting the disease. Since immunity is believed
to wear off in a decade, most Americans would be vulnerable to smallpox, which
is frequently lethal. There are only an estimated seven million to 15 million
doses of smallpox vaccine available; the U.S. government has contracted for the
production of 40 million additional doses.
-
- An
agent monitors a security checkpoint at Detroit Metropolitan Airport's Davey
terminal this week (above). Like the airline industry, many sectors are re-evaluating
how vulnerable they are to
- chemical,
biological and other forms of terrorist attacks.
-
- Q:
Are there antidotes?
-
- A:
There are good treatments for many biological weapons, but in some cases, they
must be
- administered
quickly to do any good. Antibiotics, for example, can effectively treat
anthrax, but only if they are administered before symptoms occur, which could
be as soon as a day or two after exposure. An antidote exists for botulinum
toxin, but it, too, must be administered before symptoms begin, which could be
as soon as 12 hours after exposure.
-
- Q:
What are federal, state and local health authorities doing to prepare for a
potential attack?
-
- A:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services devotes $300 million a year
toward bioterrorism
preparedness, of which about half goes to the CDC for detection and treatment.
The CDC
has a network of 81 state and local laboratories nationwide responsible for
rapid detection and diagnosis of illnesses cause by bioterrorism. The agency
also has a stockpile of antibiotics and medications for rapid deployment in the
event of an attack. Half of this stockpile is on pallets ready to be loaded on
aircraft to an affected zone. The other half exists as a "virtual
stockpile," a term used to refer to extra production capacity at the drug
companies which the government has arranged to draw from as needed. A CDC drug
shipment was rushed to New York in seven hours after the Sept. 11 attacks, but
the effort later proved unnecessary because authorities determined that no
biological agents had been released.
-
- At
the city and county level, some hospitals have emergency plans, but in the cost-cutting
era of managed care, many don't. Citizens can inquire at hospitals and public-health
departments to see whether there are local plans or resources for emergency
preparedness. More details of the U.S. plan are outlined at the Web site
www.bt.cdc.gov.
-
- Q:
Does it make sense to buy a gas mask just in case?
-
- A:
Some gas masks are specially made with filters fine enough to keep out many
biological agents. However, they are expensive ($100 to $200), bulky to carry
and may not do much good. The reason: Once you know a bioterrorism attack has
struck, it is usually too late to put on the mask. "You would pretty much
need to wear them 24-7 for them to do any good," says Julie
Rawlings, an epidemiologist at the Texas Department of Health. The federal
government says it doesn't recommend them.
- Q:
Should I stock up on antibiotics at home?
-
- A:
"No," says Michael Osterholm, a bioterrorism expert and professor of
public health at the University of Minnesota. "The last thing we want
people to do is to start self-medicating." Most people lack the
expertise to distinguish a chickenpox blister from a smallpox or anthrax
blister, and as a result, they might take drugs unnecessarily. Moreover,
experts say, building home stockpiles siphons medication from hospitals and
clinics that need them.
-
- It's
also unnecessary, says Scott Lillibridge, special assistant for bioterrorism
preparedness to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. "We
have a strategic national stockpile tailored to respond to bioterror events,
and it can be deployed to anyplace within 12 hours."
-
-
-
- Recent Stress May Boost
The Risk of Heart Attacks
-
- By
Tara Parker-Pope
- Staff
Reporter of the Wall Street Journal
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- DOCTORS
WARN we may see an increase in heart attacks in the coming weeks as the stress
of the New York and Washington, D.C., terrorist attacks continues to take a
toll.
-
- A
surge in heart-attack rates has been well documented following natural
disasters, such as earthquakes. However, researchers have little experience
with a man-made disaster of the scope and scale of the terrorist attacks
of Sept. 11. Earthquake aftershocks generally stop in a matter of days or
weeks. In the wake of the attacks, the continuing media coverage and plans for
war mean the stress triggered by the initial attacks could continue for months.
-
- "Every
time people turn on the TV it revives all the panic and fear again," says
Detroit cardiologist Joseph Rogers, who saw many patients with elevated blood
pressure in the days after the attacks.
-
- The
people at highest risk are those who already have high blood pressure or a
history of heart troubles. However, many heart attacks occur in people with
undiagnosed heart disease, so even those without known problems could be
vulnerable.
-
- STRESS
HAS LONG been blamed as a culprit in heart attacks, which can be triggered by a
heated argument, a car accident or chronic stress related to work or a family
illness.
-
- Stress
causes the body to release chemicals, including adrenaline, which can cause
surges in blood pressure and heart rate. Stress also can cause chemical changes
that make the blood thicker and more likely to clot. All those changes can play
a role in a heart attack, which occurs when plaque breaks loose from an artery
wall, causing a sudden spasm of the artery and clotting that eventually cuts
off the blood supply to the heart.
-
- Researchers
have studied heart-attack rates following several earthquakes in Japan
and California. One study looked at deaths from heart attack in the 16 Japanese
cities most affected by the Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake in 1995. Not
only did researchers find a significant increase in heart-attack deaths
following the quake, but the pattern continued for about eight weeks after the
event.
-
- Because
earthquake victims experience continued stress due to aftershocks, researchers
think a
- comparison
between earthquakes and terrorism makes sense.
-
- "In
both cases, you're not sure if it's actually over," says Thomas G.
Pickering, director of integrative and behavioral cardiology at Mount Sinai
Medical Center in New York, who has
- worked
with Japanese researchers studying the stress effects of earthquakes.
-
- Although
the body is most vulnerable to heart attack in the morning, between 6 a.m. and
noon, Japanese researchers found an unusual number of heart attacks were
occurring at night. "It's normally the time when the chances of having
heart attack are relatively low," says Dr. Pickering. "But people
were lying awake and not sleeping."
-
- Because
the terrorist attacks happened early in the morning when blood pressure is
higher and blood is more likely to clot, some researchers believe it's likely
that a surge in heart attacks occurred the morning of the crashes, although
that data won't be available for months.
-
- DAVID
L. BROWN, chief of cardiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the
Bronx, N.Y., studied two California earthquakes: One occurred around 5 p.m.,
the other around 4 a.m. Only the morning quake resulted in a higher rate of
heart attacks.
-
- "The
issue is the people that nothing happens to on day one," says Dr. Brown,
referring to the Sept. 11 disaster. "Maybe they're not vulnerable enough
to the stress to have a heart attack. I'm sure their heart rates are higher and
blood pressure is higher. But how long is that going to last?"
-
- People
who know they have high blood pressure or a history of heart problems should
visit their doctor. In addition to having their blood pressure checked,
patients should talk to their doctors about how much stress they are feeling. A
beta-blocker, which essentially counteracts the effects of stress, might
be prescribed.
-
- Exercise
is a powerful antidote to stress and counteracts the chemical changes that
occur in times of stress. Doctors note that President Bush, who is under a
tremendous amount of stress, still takes his daily jog.
-
- Giving
blood is another option. Some research indicates regular blood donors have a
lower rate of heart disease. Donating blood essentially makes the blood thinner
and less likely to clot. In addition, blood donation is an active way to
contribute, helping eliminate a feeling of helplessness -- one
factor that triggers stress.
-
- Finally,
turning off the television, working in the garden, doing volunteer work or
going to a religious service all can help reduce stress. "Just do
something," says Dr. Rogers. "Doing anything other than staying home
alone is beneficial."
-
- While
much is unknown about the effect all this stress is having on the nation's
health, one study of the 1994 Northridge, Calif., earthquake offers some
encouragement. It found that while the earthquake appeared to trigger an
increase in heart-attack rates, the spike was followed by a decrease in
heart-attack deaths. One theory is that the people who survived were
toughened by the event and more resistant to stress in general.
-
-
-
- Terrorist Attacks Renew
Concerns About Smallpox
-
- By
Gautam Naik
- Staff
Reporter of the Wall Street Journal
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- When
the World Health Organization voluntarily destroyed millions of doses of
smallpox vaccines in incinerators a decade ago, it capped one of the greatest
triumphs in public health: The global eradication of a lethal disease that had
claimed 300 million lives in the 20th century alone. No human cases of smallpox
have been reported since then.
-
- Yet
a handful of laboratories in the U.S. and Europe are once again racing to
replenish stocks of smallpox vaccine. The potential threat this time isn't
Mother Nature but terrorists who, if they acquire even a single vial of
smallpox, could use it to launch a devastating attack on a civilian population.
-
- The
smallpox virus "is the poor man's weapon of mass destruction," says
Thomas Monath, chief scientist at United Kingdom-based Acambis PLC, which
is leading the charge in the creation of a new smallpox vaccine. The recent
terrorist attacks in the U.S., he says, "are a wake-up call that
should fundamentally change the way in which we deal with bioterrorism
threats."
-
- It
is unclear whether terrorists have access to the smallpox virus, but the world
is woefully unprepared for an outbreak. Only 60 million doses of smallpox
vaccine exist in freezers around the world, according to the WHO. The U.S. has
10 million doses; the WHO has only 500,000. And because the world's 29 vaccine-production
facilities were dismantled two decades ago, new vaccines can't quickly be made.
-
- Massive Response
-
- Last
year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta decided
the potential use of smallpox in germ warfare was real enough. After inviting
tenders from around the world, it signed a 20-year contract under which
Acambis would supply an initial 40 million doses of the vaccine. Another
company that competed for the tender, Bavarian Nordic AS of Denmark, is
- trying
a slightly different approach and hopes to have one million doses of its
vaccine available within 12 months. And BioReliance Corp. of Rockville, Md.,
has agreed to supply a vaccine to the U.S. army.
-
- Protecting
people against smallpox is easy enough, provided vaccines are available. When a
tiny amount of vaccinia virus, known also as cowpox, a cousin of smallpox, is
injected into a person's arm, it triggers a massive antibody response and
typically creates a 10-year immunity against smallpox. The telltale sign
is a permanent scar or "pock" where the injection was given.
-
- For
years, viruses used for vaccines were obtained by scraping the belly of an
infected calf. But it was a time-consuming and expensive method. Acambia
hopes to speed up that process by using a more modern technique that hasn't
been tried previously in the making of smallpox vaccines.
- At
the company's main laboratory in Cambridge, Mass., scientists have grown
vaccinia viruses in a culture of human cells. Vaccinations in mice and rabbits
have shown a good immune response, according to Acambis, but it doesn't
guarantee they will work in people. Human trials are expected to start in the
first quarter of next year. If these prove successful, the vaccine will become
available in 2004, the company says.
-
- Researchers
at Bavarian Nordic never intended to work on a smallpox vaccine. Their main
goal was, and remains, a vaccine for human immune deficiency virus, which
causes AIDS. Several years ago they were experimenting with a modified vaccinia
virus; like others, it could multiply quickly while triggering a massive immune
response -- key attributes for fighting HIV. But after the CDC
asked Acambis to make a new smallpox vaccine, Bavarian Nordic decided to join
the
- fray.
-
- The
Copenhagen-based company is producing its vaccine in chicken embryos. It
is about to complete a clinical study of 90 volunteers in Germany, and it plans
a larger trial in the U.S. next year. "We believe this is a very efficient
vaccine," says Peter Wulff, the company's chief executive.
-
- Dark Winter
-
- Neither
Acambis nor Bavarian Nordic will comment on whether they have been asked in the
past three weeks by the U.S. to speed up their research efforts, given the
greater perceived threat of terrorism. But plenty of people are worried. Since
the U.S. attacks, at least five countries have asked the WHO for advice on how
to handle a bioterrorist attack, including the use of smallpox. Health
officials worry that because smallpox is a largely forgotten affliction, most
doctors won't
- recognize
it quickly.
-
- Samples
of the smallpox virus officially exist only in two highly protected locations:
a U.S. laboratory in Marietta, Georgia, and a Russian laboratory in Siberia.
But U.S. government officials are worried that some of the Russian supplies may
have fallen into the hands of rogue nations. Others question whether all
countries voluntarily destroyed laboratory samples of the smallpox virus once
the disease was eradicated.
-
- Smallpox
is deemed to be an ideal bioweapon because it is highly contagious. The virus
spreads through the air when an infected person talks or coughs, and even a
small sprinkling in a busy place, a subway or an airport, would travel quickly.
In June, a U.S. simulation called Dark Winter suggested that a smallpox
outbreak starting in Oklahoma City would spread to 25 states and 15 other
countries in two weeks.
-
- This
week, the threat of terrorists trying to commandeer crop-dusting planes
to spread poison has only increased fears. The WHO issued a bioterrorism
warning on Tuesday. And Britons and New Yorkers have bought up virtually every
gas mask available in stores.
-
- Says
Dr. David Heymann, executive director of communicable diseases programs at the
WHO: "Eradicating smallpox was a great achievement. It's sad to see that
because of events people are concerned and we may have to vaccinate
again."
-
-
-
- Novartis Says FDA
Approves Foradil For the Treatment of Smoker's Cough
-
- Wall Street Journal
- Thursday,
September 27, 2001
-
- ZURICH
-- Novartis AG said Thursday that the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration has approved its asthma drug Foradil for the treatment of
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or smoker's cough.
-
- The
FDA approved the drug in February for the treatment of asthma and the
prevention of exercise-induced bronchospasm. Banking firm Julius Baer
Group forecast that sales of the drug -- including sales from the
treatment of smoker's cough -- will reach 600 million Swiss francs
($375.7 million) in 2004.
-
- Also
Thursday, Novartis reported that use of Foradil showed improvement in lung
function when treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared with
Atrovent, an inhalation solution of Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH.
-
- The
Swiss pharmaceutical company said that in the first head-to-head
study between the two drugs, both Foradil and Atrovent were better than a
placebo in increasing lung function. However, Foradil was "significantly
better" than Atrovent at opening the airways as early as five minutes
after dosage, and Foradil's effects were still evident up to 12 hours later, Novartis
said.
-
- The
company's placebo-controlled study included 780 patients with chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease. The company also conducted two other trials
which included 1,634 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
-
- Side
effects of Foradil include increased heart rate, nervousness, tremor, muscle
cramps, nausea and sleeplessness.
-
- In
August Novartis received FDA approval to sell Zometa, its new drug for
hypercalcemia, a complication of cancer. In June the agency rejected Novartis'
application to sell Zelnorm, a drug for irritable bowel syndrome, and delayed
by at least two years sales of Xolair, an asthma drug. Both Zelnorm and Xolair
were expected to be blockbusters.
-
- Novartis
was formed in 1996 through the merger of Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy and ranks
among the world's top six pharmaceutical companies, measured by revenue.
-
-
-
- Attack expert puts
stress on preparedness
-
- Margie
Hyslop and Arlo Wagner
- Washington Times
- Friday,
September 28, 2001
-
- In
an attack using chemical, biological or radioactive weapons, the difference
between life and death could depend on what people have on hand and whether
they know what to look for, what to use and what to do, an expert told rescue
workers in Rockville yesterday.
-
- "There
may not be much time to respond, but outcomes improve if people know what to
look for, what to use and what to do," said Eric R. Taylor, a former
nuclear, biological and chemical weapons officer in the Army.
-
- Mr.
Taylor, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University
of Louisiana at Lafayette, was one of 20 speakers at the second annual
Decontamination/Weapons of Mass Destruction Symposium at the University of
Maryland, Shady Grove Center. The three-day North American conference
ends tomorrow.
-
- What
is clear is that the unanticipated attacks on civilians and military personnel
in the United States have emergency managers rethinking their plans — and
regular folks wondering how they would be warned in a terrorist attack, which
could involve explosive, chemical or biological weapons.
-
- "It
really is dependent on the situation," said John Scholz, a firefighter and
emergency-preparedness spokesman for Anne Arundel County, Md.
-
- "With
any disaster, the question is, How much time do we have?" said Reginald
Parks, director of Prince George's County's Office of Emergency Preparedness.
-
- Mr.
Taylor said the Federal Emergency Management Agency could help by publishing
easy guides to general symptoms of agents that might be used as weapons.
-
- People
are better prepared for an attack if they have reviewed procedures for
evacuating and "sheltering in place" and have a disaster supply kit
on hand.
-
- The
kit should include portable, battery-operated radios and flashlights,
extra batteries, a first-aid kit and manual, any medications needed, a
three-day supply of nonperishable food and water (one gallon per person,
per day), a can opener, utility knife, utensils, hygiene items, toilet paper,
towelettes, and baby and pet food and supplies (including carriers).
-
- Although
few people have the sophisticated garments and decontamination agents used by
police, fire and rescue workers, they often can improvise with what's on hand.
-
- "Anything
that will offer a barrier between you and the agent is better than
nothing," Mr. Taylor said.
-
- A
handkerchief or washcloth folded into layers can be used as a makeshift filter
for breathing. Activated-charcoal masks available at hardware stores also
provide protection. And while closing one's eyes can help, inexpensive swimming
goggles are better.
-
- Wearing
rubberized boots, overalls, gloves, raincoats, waders and shower caps can limit
exposure to some caustic chemicals and contaminants, he said.
-
- Small
doses of contaminants that adults could survive can be lethal to children,
small adults and pets, so they need immediate and extra protection.
-
- Mr.
Taylor said if contaminants are released in the air, windows, doors and vents
should be closed and indoor cooling systems should be turned off. If air inside
a building is warmer than air outside it, contaminated outdoor air will push
inside, he explained.
-
- Although
assaults might come in the form of a spray or a gas, persistent agents —
including lethal chemicals — settle in low-lying areas.
-
- That
means people may be safer staying put or moving to a higher spot, rather than
evacuating a building. It also means that playgrounds, sandboxes, basements and
ductwork would need to be decontaminated.
-
- Some
household cleaners — including chlorine laundry bleach and a pool cleaner known
as HTH — are weak versions of decontaminates the military uses, and they can
help, Mr. Taylor said.
-
- "Oxy-Clean"
has been shown to destroy many pathogenic bacteria, he said. Also useful
against some contaminants are hydrogen peroxide, some drain and oven cleaners,
detergents, vinegar and vegetable oil.
-
- Copyright © 2001 News
World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
-