Inhalational Anthrax Outbreak among Postal Workers, Washington, D.C., 2001

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Emerg Infect Dis
• Journal Article:
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Personal Author:
  Dewan, Puneet K. ; Fry, Alicia M. ; Laserson, Kayla ; Tierney, Bruce C. ; Quinn, Conrad P. ; Hayslett, James A. ; Broyles, Laura N. ; Shane, Andi ; Winthrop, Kevin L. ; Walks, Ivan ; Siegel, Larry ; Hales, Thomas R. ; Semenova, Vera A. ; Romero-Steiner, Sandra ; Elie, Cheryl ; Khabbaz, Rima ; Khan, Ali S. ; Hajjeh, Rana A. ; Schuchat, Anne
• Description:
  In October 2001, four cases of inhalational anthrax occurred in workers in a Washington, D.C., mail facility that processed envelopes containing Bacillus anthracis spores. We reviewed the envelopes' paths and obtained exposure histories and nasal swab cultures from postal workers. Environmental sampling was performed. A sample of employees was assessed for antibody concentrations to B. anthracis protective antigen. Case-patients worked on nonoverlapping shifts throughout the facility, suggesting multiple aerosolization events. Environmental sampling showed diffuse contamination of the facility. Potential workplace exposures were similar for the case-patients and the sample of workers. All nasal swab cultures and serum antibody tests were negative. Available tools could not identify subgroups of employees at higher risk for exposure or disease. Prophylaxis was necessary for all employees. To protect postal workers against bioterrorism, measures to reduce the risk of occupational exposure are necessary. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Pollutants, Occupational Anthrax Antibiotic Prophylaxis Antibodies Antigens Bacillus Anthracis Biological Warfare Agents Bioterrorism Communicable Diseases Disease Outbreaks Dispatch Emergency Responders Environmental Exposure Environmental Monitoring Environmental Pollution Epidemiological Monitoring Health Surveys Inhalational Anthrax Inhalation Exposure Nose Occupational Exposure Occupational Healh Occupational Health Particulate Matter Postal Service Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Infections Risk Factors Safety Serologic Tests Skin Diseases, Infectious Time Factors

  More +
• Keywords:
  Air-sampling; Air-sampling-equipment; Air-sampling-techniques; Airborne-particles; Antibacterial-agents; Antibody-response; Bacterial-cultures; Bacterial-disease; Biological-warfare; Biological-weapons; Manual-materials-handling; Postal-employees; Antigens; Emergency-care; Employee-exposure; Environmental-contamination; Environmental-exposure; Infection-control; Infectious-diseases; Prophylaxis; Aerosol-particles
• Source:
  Emerg Infect Dis 2002 Oct; 8(10):1066-1072
• Series:
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• ISSN:
  1080-6059
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Georgia ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology ; DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies ; DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; EID - Education and Information Division ; OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Diseases & Conditions
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  7 pdf pages
• Volume:
  8
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20022385
• Contact Point Address:
  Anne Schuchat, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop C23, Atlanta, GA 30333
• Email:
  acs1@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Infectious Diseases
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Collection(s):
  Emerging Infectious Diseases National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:96af164f41ca2c31a921352ed9ee642545ac853189ff4b29335409595125876b02e831eb703ebb57aefc98b7490debb68c10ae54153241f740076e909e23e66f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/14046/cdc_14046_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 288.24 KB ]