Rare Germ Found in D.C., but No Terror Fears (Tularemia - during protests)

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/Health/story?id=1174699

(snip)

Sept. 30, 2005 -- A relatively rare biological agent has been detected in air filters serving Washington D.C. in recent weeks, ABC News has learned — but current evidence does not show any indication whatsoever of terrorism.

The federal government found six air filters around the nation's capital checked on Sept. 24 and 25 contained "trace amounts" of tularemia, a type of bacteria.

The tests were conducted as part of routine homeland security procedures, in which selected air filters from around the nation's capital are checked for chemical and biological agents.

(snip)

More at link.

Interesting that Homeland Security just happened to be checking the bioterror sensors during the protests...

At most, a bit of propaganda to get the terrorism meme going. But the story makes even that seem unlikely.

infected the buildings and now we can have another reason to bring in martial law.

Here's what I've gathered on it thus far...


http://www.sploid.com/news/2005/10/deadly_biohazar.php

Deadly biohazard hits D.C. anti-war protests

A week after the massive anti-war demonstrations in Washington, it has been revealed http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1005/265011.html that biohazard sensors detected the dangerous tularemia bacteria over the crowds.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

Just so you understand the implications, here is a brief history
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/285/21/2763 (from the Journal of the American Medical Association) of tularemia and how it is stockpiled as a bioweapon by the U.S. military ...

Tularemia was first described as a plaguelike disease of rodents in 1911 and, shortly thereafter, was recognized as a potentially severe and fatal illness in humans. Tularemia´s epidemic potential became apparent in the 1930s and 1940s, when large waterborne outbreaks occurred in Europe and the Soviet Union and epizootic-associated cases occurred in the United States. As well, F tularensis quickly gained notoriety as a virulent laboratory hazard. Public health concerns impelled substantial early investigations into tularemia´s ecology, microbiology, pathogenicity, and prevention.

Francisella tularensis has long been considered a potential biological weapon. It was one of a number of agents studied at Japanese germ warfare research units operating in Manchuria between 1932 and 1945; it was also examined for military purposes in the West. A former Soviet Union biological weapons scientist, Ken Alibeck, has suggested that tularemia outbreaks affecting tens of thousands of Soviet and German soldiers on the eastern European front during World War II may have been the result of intentional use. Following the war, there were continuing military studies of tularemia.

--- In the 1950s and 1960s, the US military developed weapons that would disseminate F tularensis aerosols; concurrently, it conducted research to better understand the pathophysiology of tularemia and to develop vaccines and antibiotic prophylaxis and treatment regimens.

In some studies, volunteers were infected with F tularensis by direct aerosol delivery systems and by exposures in an aerosol chamber. ---

F tularensis was one of several biological weapons stockpiled by the US military. According to Alibeck, a large parallel effort by the Soviet Union continued into the early 1990s and resulted in weapons production of F tularensis strains engineered to be resistant to antibiotics and vaccines.

There is currently an outbreak of this very same disease in Russia, where nearly 500 people have so far been reported ill. http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=24826


Insect bites and contaminated food/water are known vectors of this disease,as is the handling of infected animal carcasses; however, the unprecedented number of cases -- many of which have occurred in the vicinity of known bioweapons labs-suggests this outbreak has "other-than-natural" causes: whether it "leaked" from carelessly-handled containers, or whether it was deliberately transported to several areas.

Back to the article in this morning´s Washington Post:

Health authorities in the Washington area were notified yesterday that the bacteria were found in and near the area between the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, where crowds gathered Saturday for an antiwar rally and a book festival.

The notification, which came from federal health officials, said that after the initial detection, subsequent tests "supported the presence of low levels" of the bacteria. However, officials also said they did not believe the findings posed a health problem.

"We pretty much feel there is no public health threat here," said Von Roebuck, a spokesman for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noting that there have been no reports of tularemia, the disease that is caused by the bacteria. "We just wanted to alert the medical community to watch out for cases."

Health officials said the usual incubation period for tularemia is less than a week.

D.C. Public Health Director Gregg A. Pane seems a little suspicious about the whole thing:

But he said it was puzzling that the finding was from a day when the Mall was packed with people.

"Why that day? That´s what is not explained," Pane said. "It was just this 24-hour period and none since."

While the Authorities say it´s nothing to be worried about, they also say ... well, it just might be something to worry about:

Authorities recommend that people who visited the Mall between 10 a.m. Sept. 24 and 10 a.m. Sept. 25 should see a physician if they experience symptoms.

George W. Bush and his handlers were huddled in the Northcom bunkers in Colorado on the night before and day of the massive protests outside the White House. http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0905/262928.html The Sept. 24 protest was the largest anti-war action by Americans since the Vietnam War.

Just three days before the long-planned protests, "above top secret" military exercises began on the streets of Washington, D.C. http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2005/09/to...

The top secret exercises involving the nation´s intelligence agencies, national laboratories and U.S. military troops on the ground in America´s capital were coordinated and controlled by Northcom in Colorado.

The Washington Post reported on Sept. 21: http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2005/09/to...

Granite Shadow is yet another new Top Secret and compartmented operation related to the military´s extra-legal powers regarding weapons of mass destruction. It allows for emergency military operations in the United States without civilian supervision or control ...

That´s where Granite Shadow comes in. U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), the military´s new homeland security command, is preparing its draft version of CONPLAN 0400 for military operations in the United States, and the resulting Granite Shadow plan has been classified above Top Secret by adding a Special Category (SPECAT) compartment restricting access.

Further, Granite Shadow posits domestic military operations, including intelligence collection and surveillance, unique rules of engagement regarding the use of lethal force, the use of experimental non-lethal weapons, and federal and military control of incident locations that are highly controversial and might border on the illegal.

The sensitivities, according to military sources, include deployment of "special mission units" (the so-called Delta Force, SEAL teams, Rangers, and other special units of Joint Special Operations Command) in Washington, DC and other domestic hot spots. NORTHCOM has worked closely with U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), as well as the secret branches of non-military agencies and departments to enforce "unity of command" over any post 9/11 efforts.

Both plans seem to live behind a veil of extraordinary secrecy because military forces operating under them have already been given a series of "special authorities" by the President and the secretary of defense. These special authorities include, presumably, military roles in civilian law enforcement and abrogation of State´s powers in a declared or perceived emergency.

The New York Times news service distributed a very interesting article on tularemia ... also on Sept. 21: http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/09/21/rabbitfe...

A Cold War bug has become a hot topic for scientists who are trying to understand how an obscure germ that causes a harmless infection in rabbits can kill people when sprayed into the air.

That quest has turned San Antonio, Texas, into a major location for the study of tularemia, a disease carried by several small mammals that national defense authorities say is now a potential bioterrorism threat.
Karl Klose, a professor of biology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, leads a team of investigators who want to understand how the bug makes people sick and how they can prevent infection with a vaccine.

Klose and fellow investigators from UTSA and the University of Texas Health Science Center have secured a $6.4 million grant under a new federal bioterrorism initiative that began in the aftermath of 9/11. Now the National Institutes of Health is pouring millions into the study of tularemia and other diseases that may have been turned into biological weapons by groups or governments hostile to the U.S.

"Sept. 11 and the anthrax scare really woke up the U.S. government as to how vulnerable we are," Klose said. "Anthrax got a lot of attention, but tularemia is just as dangerous as anthrax."

Not mentioned in the article is the established fact that the anthrax used in the October 2001 attacks against opposition political leaders and perceived "liberal" media personalities was produced by bioweapons labs in the United States, and nobody has ever "solved" the attacks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_anthrax_attacks#The_a... that terrorized the American psyche just weeks after the attacks of Sept. 11.

---

WASHINGTON DC - Rare Germ Found in D.C., but No Terror Fears

"current evidence does not show any indication whatsoever of terrorism"

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/Health/story?id=1174699

WASHINGTON DC - Biohazard Sensors Triggered

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

WASHINGTON DC - Air sampler detected possible disease agent during protests

http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=3923145&nav=23ii

WASHINGTON DC - Small Amounts of Bacteria Found During Protests Last Weekend

http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=581709

WASHINGTON DC - Airborne Bacteria May Have Been In Air Over DC, CDC Says

"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notified the states of Maryland and Virginia and the District of Columbia Friday that an airborne form of Tularemia bacterium was detected by air sensors in the vicinity of the National Capital Mall during the weekend of Sept. 24 - 25"

http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=3923156&nav=ZolH...

Recent news items on Tularemia:

08/31/2005 RUSSIA - Over thirty suspected tularemia cases reported in Sverdlovsk

http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11...

09/21/2005 - USA - Rabbit fever a potential bioterror threat

http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/09/21/rabbitfe...

08/31/2005 - TEXAS - UTSA gets grant to study tularemia

http://www.theeagle.com/stories/083105/health_200508310...

Information on Tularemia from the CDC can be found here:

USA - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Tularemia

"Possible symptoms include skin ulcers, swollen and painful lymph glands, inflamed eyes, sore throat, mouth sores, diarrhea or pneumonia. If the bacteria are inhaled, symptoms can include abrupt onset of fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, joint pain, dry cough, and progressive weakness. People with pneumonia can develop chest pain, difficulty breathing, bloody sputum, and respiratory failure. Tularemia can be fatal if the person is not treated with appropriate antibiotics"

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

---

I´m sure Fuehrer Bush and his cronies have already received THEIR vaccines...

"Takafuji lauded the Bush Administration for its focus on product development, saying, "It´s not just doing research for research purposes,
but to really aim that research in a targeted way to develop countermeasures that are effective against these threats." - WASHINGTON FAX December 10, 2002 http://www.aphl.org/docs/Tularemia%20Vaccine%20info.pdf

Lovely, but my trace right now of the ´military´ vaccine´s patent is currently coming up with names like BioPort (who also holds an anthrax vaccine patent,) of which a major investor is the... Carlyle Group (Sound familiar?) AND leads back to the Nazi chemical company I.G. Farben, the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Anthropology, Eugenics and Human Heredity, and "The Rockefeller Foundation...the prime sponsor of public relations for the United Nations´ drastic depopulation program..."

Just Google ´tularemia´ in combination with the above culprits and others and see what you come up with.

I know rabbits can be quite common in some cities (I have one sunning him/herself in my back yard a lot), so I thought perhaps this was all the story amounted to. Add a lot of foot traffic, and you might kick up plenty of spores of all sorts.

But the timing of the find is rather suspicious. Maybe someone was up to something - my first reaction to the article was that they were hinting that some protesters were spreading the bacteria, which tended to make me dismiss it.

As others pointed out, it could also be construed as a warning to people "don't protest in large groups, you don't know what could happen", just to stifle the urge to dissent. I suppose that is what I meant by spreading the terrorism meme.

You are right, with Bush almost anything is possible. We have seen what he is capable of in Iraq, and "not capable of" in New Orleans.

I hadn't put Granite Shadow together with the tularemia.

The Russian outbreak article is dated September 1, 2005, so it's quite current. What is that website, PHX News? Why is Osama Bin Laden's picture at the top?

Thanks for all the information, and welcome to DU.

Here you go.
I was in DC for that period of time. I noticed 3 things.

1. Proximity of birds, squirrels, rabbits, and other city dwelling wildlife in closer-than-normal-nature contact with humans.
2. Very dry, dusty conditions in some areas, especially near the reflecting pool and Washington monument.
3. The hot dogs are more likely to give you something than the squirrels.

However, if you do experience anything strange, simply keep this in mind.

Squirrels were fearless around people. I remarked on it to my husband that it gave me the creeps. To me squirrels are rodents with bushy tails, bad business to feed them.

I am a wildlife rehabber and specialize in wild rabbits. It is not easily spread and to find it in filters is an major anomaly.

We veterinarians have all been advised in writing and given a poster to refer to regarding potential bioterrorism agents of veterinary importance, and it also covers those zoonotic diseases with bioterrorism potential. TULAREMIA IS ONE OF THEM. This needs to be taken EXTREMELY seriously. I have to look at the cart and check my files tomorrow at work and will see what else I turn up.

I am very concerned for the people who were in DC for the protest. This is not something that has ANY BUSINESS AT ALL being in air filters in a major metropolitan area. This is a rabbit pathogen.

FYI: I hold a BS in Microbiology in addition to my DVM.

to get the pathogen? I wouldn't think it would be available to just anyone and rabbits as a rule don't just run loose in a metropolitan area.

I feel fine. I left DC on Sunday evening and I didn't hang around the mall too much before or after the protest (I was there briefly Sunday afternoon). I'm not going to freak out about this just yet.

I wonder if the protesters saw any of these...

what are you referring to - the clouds?

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/285/21/2763?#...

This is dated June 2001.

I think anybody who went to the DC or any of the other protests on Sep 24 should be alert to the possibility of tularemia having been used as a weapon against them. If you went to any of these protests and develop respiratory ilness, seek medical attantion promptly and advise your physician of the tularemia in DC situation so they can conduct appropriate tests.

Tularemia is one of the bioterrorism agents being studied/developed in the govt-funded bioterrorism labs of Tulane (NOLA) and LSU (Baton Rouge).

A few related links on the Tularemia labs of NOLA and Baton Rouge:
http://www.newsbanner.com/articles/2004/12/13/news/news...
http://bizneworleans.com/109+M5bb1016b13d.html
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001351.html
http://www.labdesignnews.com/LaboratoryDesign/LD0407New...
http://news.surfwax.com/health/files/Tularemia.html

from DU'er FormerOstrich:
42. Recent Outbreak in Russia


I did a google news search and was surprised to see that there has been a recent outbreak of tularemia in Russia.

Not only that, a 6.4M grant was awarded to University of Texas at San Antonio to study tularemia. Announced August 31, 2005.

Don't know what it means but it's interesting none the less.

... producing these bio agents for the government may have had their stocks surrendered for relocation due to Katrina.

Great way to discourage protestors - just a splash of fascism and sure Mommy won't let the kiddies go protest if they might come home infected.

and we're suppose to connect the dots...

Are we next going to hear about missing biological agents from Hurricane-ravaged NOLA?

DISINFORMATION. Tularemia is widely acknowledged to be a GREAT candidate for bioterrorism use. That's why we veterinarians have been warned about it.

And yes, I think the timing of their tests is certainly convenient. How often do they test for these things? Where are the filters located? When were those same filters last tested?

I have a LOT of questions about this little tidbit.

protests.

He of course, had to monitor the Hurricane in Colorado, for some damn reason.

the same capabilities in DC.

players leave? I thought the WH was basically deserted. Anyone know?

Now I know why noone showed up at the GOP Rally, the ones that did, didn't get the MEMO!!!!

were at the march. Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Cornel West, Julian Bond and Eleanor Smeal were there too. And of course Cindy Sheehan. If any of these folks get sick then I'll worry. I'm not sick...yet.

for the National Book Fair?

One of the pieces of info above says the tularemia was most prominent on the Mall. The rally itself wasn't on the Mall, although the peace fair was. Still, an airborne pathogen isn't going to confine itself just to the Mall.

Anyway, I was at the demonstration and I'm chronically ill with a damaged immune system so I'm glad to have the warning. And, for the record, I'm feeling fine.

Attend a protest and you might meet with biological pathogens.

It wouldn't suprise me if the story was a complete falsehood, or something of a scam.

he is the master of the meme

Tularemia is a naturally occurring disease typically transmitted by rodents and dead carcasses, and has been reported in the past in all U.S. states except Hawaii.

They probably have mice and/or rats.

majority of cases are found in the rural Midwest. This is NOT, I repeat NOT something that has ANY BUSINESS turning up in urban air filtration systems.

contaminate the air filters?

Several months ago, we had 2 people in NYC with bubonic plague. They had caught it in a normal location (Arizona or similar), and wound up in the hospital here.

We also had someone die in Queens of Hanta virus, but he had contracted it elsewhere.

So, if a contaminated person went to Washington, would he have enough germs to contaminate the air filters?

via the respiratory tract as far as I know, unlike PLAGUE.

I think they used it on the protestors. To kill.

great way to not cause a panic...

aware of possible exposure to a bioweapon so they can get appropriate diagnostics and treatment if they have symptoms of tularemia. I am MAD AS HELL about this, and do not believe it to be a coincidence. I believe it is deliberate.

I'm a microbiologist and veterinarian. I do not panic over germs. I take appropriate action.

Only air fiiters I've ever seen in D.C. (I live here.) were in the Metro stations. There is one actually on the mall, Smithsonian, and many within a couple blocks (Union Station, Capitol South, Archives-Navy Memorial, McPherson Square, etc.), in the Metro stations and all of DC there is an extremely bad rodent problem. http://www.terrierman.com/washingt.htm

Might have something to do with it. I went to the march, I feel fine.

Because it is commonly transmitted by ticks, it tends to be most common in summer months when the vectors are most active. An examination of parkland and greenways in the DC area demostrates plenty of habitat for hosts and vectors.

Naturally occurring bacteria, including rare pathogens, are going to show up sooner or later under programs of prolonged, intense, surveillance.

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

Here's what I find especially interesting:

Q. Why are we concerned about tularemia being used as a bioweapon?
A. Francisella tularensis is highly infectious. A small number of bacteria (10-50 organisms) can cause disease. If Francisella tularensis were used as a bioweapon, the bacteria would likely be made airborne so they could be inhaled. People who inhale the bacteria can experience severe respiratory illness, including life-threatening pneumonia and systemic infection, if they are not treated.

"IF F. TULARENSIS WERE USED AS A BIOWEAPON, THE BACTERIA WOULD LIKELY BE MADE AIRBORNE SO THEY COULD BE INHALED."

I am obliged to step in here. I *also* have a BS in micro. Indeed...this finding is not a good thing - however, your comments are only inducing panic. I think we need more information - how many organisms were found in the air filters...one? two? In how many filters was the f. tularensis found (it said 6, but is this correct?)? What way was the wind blowing that day? Have there been any suspicious wildlife deaths? The article that was given is not enough information to be spreading panic like you are. Like most other advice on here, i would monitor your health over the next week or so if you were in DC that day - however, since the incubation period is 3-14 days, it seems reasonable to say that if there was going to be an outbreak due to a bioweapon, someone would have shown up with the disease already. Relax everyone.

And I'm feeling perfectly....cough///retch.

but my two daughters have cold sores and I have swollen glands and a cold sore. I have no idea what to think right now but I'm taking an old RX of an antibiotic I have around.

I find it interesting that they are telling the hospitals throughout the country now. I feel like a human Guinea pig. Which of course, sounds like we are.

I have taken it for a year or so and though cold sores have plagued me for 40 years, they no longer cause any problems.

I got the ole Blistex. However my daughters rarely ever get cold sores and all of us at once? Odd but possible.

do get everybody on daily L-lysine. It made a world of difference to me! And it sure helps my kitty patients with Feline Herpesvirus also.

Sorry for your trouble, but don't jump on the terror train so soon.

Hope you all feel better soon.

bioweapon, so that if they get sick enough to require medical attention, they can advise their doctor of the possibility of this agent and get appropriate diagnostics and therapeutics.

No need for panic, but people should be AWARE of this situation.

IMO there was nothing deadly (save for pollution) in the D.C. air, but it may help the hypochondriacs to stay away from the next Anti-War Protest that is sure to be HUGE given the increased death and destruction in The Middle East.

Don't let the whorish medias continued HYPER-focus on everything but the corruption of the republican party take your eyes off of THE REAL ISSUES. If we don't clean house of corruption, our entire country WILL slip into corporate fascism.

I'm not jumping on the terror train. However you must admit that the pattern of conduct shown by this administration to poor, black and disable people during a hurricane. By cutting off needed medical insurance to our elderly and screwing over our military by not supplying them armour does leave alot to be desired.

Actually, sad to say, I'm not surprised. I'm still going next time.

let them keep trying to scare us off. IT WON'T WORK. WE WILL NEVER SHUT UP. WE WILL NEVER BACK DOWN.

4 1/2 days from when I left DC I get an almost instant sore throat, chills, aches, and respitory problems. Sweated my sheets soaked last night too. We need to keep track of people who went to the march.

a physician, with special attention paid to the possibility of tularemia. It is treatable but physicians will not normally suspect it or treat for it.

can cause skin sores at the site of inoculation such as in transmission via tick bite, and also swollen glands that drain the area of the sore, if you inhale it you get SEVERE respiratory disease.

Your swollen glands are most likely manifestations from your VIRAL herpes infection. Taking antibiotics for a virus will do nothing, and not only that, but you could be adding to the growing antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria already present.

Ha! Great way for * to get rid of his one pesky handler ("George! Don't!" as he slams down a shot of booze).

This could cut both ways, huh?
"They" want to get "us."
Who is who?

She's already given birth to the next generation of the GOP losers, er, leadership. Plus her appearing on/with the house makeover crew reminded them of Jimmy Carter and his work for Habitat for Humanity. That, of course, that reminded them that Laura's haircut is too close to Rosalyn's and that Pickles herself used to be a Democrat, ergo she's expendable.

I put nothing past Rove and those people.

little dead rabbit carcasses..........what do you expect? Of COURSE they found tularemia in our filters on just that one day. Those nasty protestors dirtied up this lovely city."

marches now?

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

in the air filters? Sounds like a set up?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tularemia

He's normally very healthy and he's got mouth ulcers that hurt. Doctors say it's just a virus. I'm convinced he could be suffering from this.

SEVERE respiratory disease.

Francisella tularensis is one of the most infective bacteria known. Fewer than ten organisms have been shown to lead to severe illness. Humans are most often infected by tick bite or through handling an infected animal.

if the bacterium is inhaled (and I do not know the minimum number of organisms required to cause respiratory infection) it causes severe respiratory and systemic disease.

More Rove bullshit geared to keep protesters away. It's bullshit. Don't buy into it. They just trying to scare you.

This sort of shit has to be illegal. Someone who was there should file a complaint.

He's never sick and now he's got painful mouth ulcers. The onset was a week after the march. It's too much of a coincidence.

when did he start noticing problems?

treatable bacterial disease, your doctor has to LOOK FOR IT specifically. It is hard to culture. Not easy to confirm a diagnosis. So you could die of it while waiting for the doctor to figure it out.

Anybody who went to any of the marches on the 24th who then got a respiratory disease with 3-14 days needs to be sure their doctor considers this disease and treats accordingly

BTW, tularemia is now a reportable disease due to the widely acknowledged potential for use as a bioweapon, so if folks come down with it there can be no coverup.

...on the twenty-fifth.

Last night on the flight back to Seattle I was having a little difficulty breathing. I visited the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial and the Whitehouse.

Even though WDC has had a couple of days of rain could there be some residual leftover?

... and I think it's probably bullshit to scare us into not marching again anytime soon. We got there around 10:00 a.m. and didn't head home until around 6:00 p.m. I live just outside DC suburbs and the local news tonight said no one had tested positive.

The symptoms also match just about every one for ragweed and fall allergy problems that are ALWAYS bad here this time of year. Plus, we haven't had but about 1/4 inch of rain in the last month, so all that tree and weed crap is high.

Just an up close, regional observation so far...

*Edited to add that the only thing I might be afraid of was those giant pretzels that were being sold by guys handling money in one hand, pretzel in the other, and wearing no gloves.

when I start wheezing and writhing from mouth ulcers then I'll start freaking out.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Masses of US citizens have been used as guinea pigs without their knowledge or consent by the feds a few times before this.

Illegal? Not to worry: in the 1950s or 1960s "harmless" pathogens were released in San Francisco to allow our illustrious feds to track the spread of disease so they could learn something about the effects of a possible Soviet germ warfare attack.

Someone better than I at online research could no doubt dig up the particulars.

If the 9-24-05 spike in sensor readings at the DC Mall was particular to that one day and no other I don't think it's overly tinfoil to wonder whether it was already in the dust we kicked up -- or not.

I feel fine except for my intermittent allergies, but my husband is on an immunosuppressant med, and if I imagined that I could bring something like tularemia home in the dust on my clothes...

It was a great march, though. I went with a friend who is a very discouraged civil servant (what Bush did to FEMA he's done to many other agencies as well) and being with several hundred thousand anti-Bush protesters cheered her up no end. Me too.

Hekate

(useless little factoid stuck in my brain from microbiology classes)

twice about showing up..

And even if it's not true, the story should do the trick.

we could have been test subjects. This has been released now because they want Medical facility to test for it so it then in turn is reported. They can find out how many people were infected, ages, medical backgrounds and other interesting tid bits.

I just looked through my Protest photo's and noticed that none of the cops in front of the White House had protection.

I was wondering about the police too. Were they put onto antibiotics or is the administration blithely risking their lives too? As for the pro-war protesters, it's a laugh if they think the government they support cares if they live or die.

I hope people take this seriously. Most won't get sick, but it would be terrible to have even one person murdered this way.

Regards the spreading of it, does anyone have ideas as to how it was done? We can rule out dead rats, this was airborn and dead rats don't fly.

I posted this information on a thread in GD about this.

I did a google news search and was surprised to see that there has been a recent outbreak of tularemia in Russia.

Not only that, a 6.4M grant was awarded to University of Texas at San Antonio to study tularemia. Announced August 31, 2005.

Don't know what it means but it's interesting none the less.

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=tularemia&btnG=Goog...

Found this article regarding the same biowatch system finding tularemia in 2003. It says it was the FIRST time any of these systems found signs of a "Category A" agent—a pathogen considered to be an attractive weapon for bioterrorists.

2003: Low levels of the tularemia organism (Francisella tularensis) were found on filters taken from air monitors Oct 4, 5, and 6, according to a news release from the Houston Health and Human Services Department. But the pathogen was not found on filters tested Oct 7 and 8, the department said.



Was there anything special going on in Houston during that time frame? Anyone remember?

Alex says that you win this "Double Jeopardy" round. Congrats!

But will the sheeple be distracted by such a sophisticated ruse? We'll soon know.

case in Houston could very well be environmental contamination from natural sources. Dry, dusty environment with lots of rabbits?

DC is not the typical environment for tularemia.

Its the reason you wait till after the first good snow to hunt wild rabbits.

If that's the worst they can come up with, there's no reason to worry.

wasn't raised - it being the nation's capitol and all.

And I do think it very suggestive that the testing happened at the time there were massive rallies against the administration...

I can't help thinking back to the anthrax poisoning after 9/11. We never found out who that wingnut was - but they definitely had it in for Democrats. That centered in Washington too for the most part. Wonder if it is the same wingnut(s) working with different poison now?

I would find it more coincidental if Republicans were effected by any of this stuff.

Tularemia is one of the bioterrorism agents being studied/developed in the govt-funded bioterrorism labs of Tulane (NOLA) and LSU (Baton Rouge). There were questions regarding any damage these labs may have suffered from Katrina, and additional concerns about the lack of security during that time. The questions seemed to have gone nowhere.

A few related links on the Tularemia labs of NOLA and Baton Rouge:
http://www.newsbanner.com/articles/2004/12/13/news/news ...
http://bizneworleans.com/109+M5bb1016b13d.html
http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001351.html
http://www.labdesignnews.com/LaboratoryDesign/LD0407New ...
http://news.surfwax.com/health/files/Tularemia.html

occurred that is a little less sinister? I mean, is there a reasonable explanation to how this could have happened??

just run over an infected animal with a lawnmower at each of the 6 testing sites and you will have airborn bacteria at each one.

Weaponising francisella tularensis to create an aerosol is both difficult and dangerous.

If this happens, get treated fast.


Modifications of F. tularensis
Changing the fundamental nature of Francisella tularensis by incorporating plasmids which encode for antibiotic resistance was part of the weaponization work done by both the United States and the Soviet Union. Strains encoding chloramphenicol and tetracycline resistance in F. tularensis were developed, as well as streptomycin-resistant F. tularensis strains. Vaccine subverting preparations were also developed.
Modifications of F. tularensis

http://www.bioterrorism.uab.edu/CategoryA/tularemia/his...

The good news is that catching it once gives you lifelong immunity.

I just came down with a flu/sorethroat/cold after just getting over the same a week ago.

Not jumping on the alarmist bandwagon, just stating a fact.

But I'm not ready to panic. She was with me all day and, although I have a chronic illness and a weakened immune system, I'm fine. Then again, I think my body's immunities are so disordered I often avoid something that everyone gets.

Still, there were probably 1/4 a million people in DC last Saturday. And, for many, it was a long and exhausting (albeit uplifting) experience with long travel, strange foods, disruption of sleep schedules, etc. All the things that ordinarily bring on things like colds and flu.

Kestrel seems to have it about right. If you're feeling sick, get to a doctor and tell them you were in DC where they found tularemia in the air.

I haven't been sick.
Hmm, this is interesting.

I'm not a Tin Foil Hat Person.... but ... ya jes nevah know... huh?

It very well may be the proximity to masses of people, the airplanes/buses/trains, the famous DC rats, the time of year, etc. etc. But I consider it worth staying on top of the information and using a measure a of caution.

It seems like a normal sinus-migrates-to-chest thing I get a few times a year. Congestion that as it lessens goes to my upper chest with a yucky cough and then is gone. These are not the symptoms of tularemia and since what I have is following the pattern of what I normally get I'm not worried. It's most likely from being around a large number of people and early in the week after the protest I didn't get enough sleep, which is when I'm more prone to get sick, so I'm just taking it easy while this passes.

4 1/2 days from when I left DC I get an almost instant sore throat, chills, aches, and respitory problems. Sweated my sheets soaked last night too. We need to keep track of people who went to the march.

Don't you see, they would NEVER = NOT EVER do release a pathogen. Why? Because the truly *big players* live in D.C. !!!

You can't be confident enough to keep such contained.

This is Psychological Operations (PSY OPS) used to scare hypochondriacs to "divert our attention" away from protesting any more AND to neglect our continued focus on the republican corruption.

Please stop "getting weird" on us and trying to scare people?

and I rarely get sick. And I never get sick as rapidly as I did this time around. The comment about they would never do it because the big players live there is absurd. These people all have access to health care and anti-biotics. I can't afford to go to the doctor to get a scrip to anti-biotics that I can't afford to buy so forgive me if I remain a little concerned and If your not scared of what this administration is capable of then you haven't been paying attention.

However, if you want to start a "I got sick at the protest thread" I'd respectfully request you do it somewhere else or in the "lounge thread"?

I can already envision the "wheels turning" in the Freepers minds ... signing on and saying words to the effect that "Oh! I got horribly sick" AND before we know it that bat shit crazy Nancy Grace will be covering it 24/7.

And what would the above accomplish? Yes, few people would go to the protests.

Again, the big players - Secretaries, etc. are *constantly* being chauffeured around the areas of the D.C. protest.

Therefore, not even the most EVIL and maniacal folks in covert ops would RISK getting "one of their own" sick to ACTUALLY RELEASE a pathogen.

However, IF THEY COULD START A ROVIAN SCARE, EVEN BETTER!

Damn, please take your concerns elsewhere because this is a clear TRAP - Pure disinformation and PsyOps ... whatever the source.

This is a legitimate topic here. This person's concerns are legitimate under the circumstances.

Never forget the man who died of FL of anthrax. It may have meant only to scare Dems and enemies of Bush, but REAL PEOPLE DIED.

I have grown up in a far right libertarian atmosphere ... family.

What I am trying to convey is that IF the right wing can get us to "freak" over some possible pathogen and NOT PAY attention to the republican corruption, YOU BETCHA they'll have their operatives sign on to DU and blow this completely out of proportions.

Again, this is Psychological Warfare because such a pathogen cannot be contained "on the street." And "all over" those streets are high level dignitaries that didn't let even a HUGE anti-war demonstration stop them from scampering about D.C.

I live HERE so I should have a clue. There's a hell-of-va lot of pollution and perhaps lead in some of the drinking water, but the "EVIL PLAYERS" would not dare to make one little coveted right winger appointee's ill by releasing ANYthing into ANY crowd.

This is a valid discussion MOSTLY by the sense of fear and panic it is successfully causing in "some people".

I do believe that a number of people are sick, but NOT from a pathogen, but most likely the damn flu - I know it can be hell, but fluids and loving care will help, antibiotics won't do squat for viruses.

If you went to the protest, suddenly came down ill with respiratory symptoms, and are now hearing about this, you should at least take the safest course.

Go to your doctor and tell him/her that you've recently handled a rabbit that you've found just recently came down sick/died of "rabbit fever" and you'd like to be checked because you're exhibiting symptoms as well. You don't need to mention the protest or the "attack" in any way.

The absolute worst advice you can give a person who believes themselves ill is to "wait and see". No. Get thee to a doctor, stat. It may be nothing, but then again, it may be Something.

actually easy to keep contained. Just release the bug when your enemies come to town in big numbers, and make sure YOU are out of town.

And many of the protesters were middle class folks who have fairly easy access to health care.

How many ways can I say - This was planted to SCARE the sheeple into NOT focusing on the republican corruption and NOT attend the next anti-war protest.

It's so obvious!!! - suffice to conclude "Keeping the people in a constant state of FEAR is good for the intentions of this Executive Branch."

is that if I die in the next few days somebody look into this deeper please.

begin to drop like flies of flu-like illness and their only link is the D.C. protests, I will not be blind and consider what you have claimed.

Please just take good care of yourself? IMO even the spooks don't cross these lines (risk getting high officials ill - dead).

Best wishes for a quick and full recovery. EP

Logic tells me you are right, and logic tels me that my sore throat/cough is the result of 3 days of screaming at the White House.

I don't feel low-energy-sick, just a sore throat and very mild sniffles. Which makes sense after the last week. I'll keep taking my vitamin C and stuff and if I feel my chest getting congested maybe I will call my doctor.

It does seem really odd that they found this, but you are right in saying there is no way they would risk the whole city....Wierd.

like worst I've had in decades with the flu. sweating gallons when I sleep too. if anymore of these symptoms show up please get yourself checked out megan.

Not to discount your symptoms, but getting together with masses of people in a new environment is going to cause a host of illnesses (flu, common cold, etc.,) to pass among the participants. How often has someone caught a cold or flu from flying in a commercial plane? As for this report, there are a lot of rabbits and squirrels in D.C., not to mention the four-legged rats which are present even in the 'nicest' parts of town. Both my daughter and I were at the March -- arriving at 10:30 -- and haven't had a sniffle.

to DC would be plain old flu or colds from stress combined with exposeure to the germs of many other people. But because the finding of tularemia in the filters was a bit of a puzzle to the person quoted in the article who deals daily with these issues, I cannot simply write it off as due to natural sources in the locale.

In the white house are more harmful. in any event I'm going to keep saying this, get some ionic silver and a nebulizer.

I have no memory of ever encountering a rabbit anywhere in DC, in wooded, grassy or other urban areas of DC. I am a native and grew up there.

There are definitely rabbits in Rock Creek Park and the Woodley Park area. They've got them wild at the National Zoo, because I've seen them. Rabbits fill in wherever there's a space. Rabbits first, then coyotes.

Healthy, brown, cotton-tail bunnies.

even if you don't have funds, they will NOT turn you away this ill. Go and find out ... you may have something more serious than the flu albeit the flu can make us feel pretty damn aweful.

visiting friends, attending a seminar, visiting your Congressman's office, planning a school event, etc. You don't have to tell them you were at a protest.

I wouldn't make up anything about handling rabbits, either, as they might send somebody out to find the rabbit.