Epidemiologic Investigations of Bioterrorism-Related Anthrax, New Jersey, 2001

Details

• Personal Author:
  Abamonte PP ; Alozie Arole C ; Armstrong G ; Beach MJ ; Bell BP ; Bresnitz E ; Bruce S ; Buehler J ; Burr, Gregory A. ; Chamany S ; Crawford D ; Croft DR ; Crowe C ; Davis SI ; Dentinger C ; Deppe DA ; DiFerdinando G ; Dillon M ; Dott M ; Farrington LA ; Fiore AE ; Fraser M ; Friedman DS ; Gardom J ; Genese C ; Gnesda D ; Goldstein S ; Greene CM ; Helfand R ; Imhoff BC ; Jones GJ ; Joskow R ; Kalluri P ; Kaufman SG ; Kawamoto, Melody M. ; Kennedy M ; King JD ; McClure S ; McConnell M ; McElroy PD ; Mead, Kenneth R. ; Mickelsen, Ronald L. ; Miro S ; Patel M ; Pecoraro C ; Pierce M ; Pinner RW ; Redd SC ; Reefhuis J ; Roth-Edwards L ; Sandhu H ; Schill D ; Sells M ; Tan C ; Tucker N ; Valiante D ; Varghese R ; Yereb, Daniel J. ; Zubieta J
• Description:
  At least four Bacillus anthracis-containing envelopes destined for New York City and Washington, D.C. were processed at the Trenton Processing and Distribution Center (PDC) on September 18 and October 9, 2001. When cutaneous anthrax was confirmed in a Trenton postal worker, the PDC was closed. Four cutaneous and two inhalational anthrax cases were identified. Five patients were hospitalized; none died. Four were PDC employees; the others handled or received mail processed there. Onset dates occurred in two clusters following envelope processing at the PDC. The attack rate among the 170 employees present when the B. anthracis-containing letters were sorted on October 9 was 1.2%. Of 137 PDC environmental samples, 57 (42%) were positive. Five (10%) of 50 local post offices each yielded one positive sample. Cutaneous or inhalational anthrax developed in four postal employees at a facility where B. anthracis-containing letters were processed. Cross-contaminated mail or equipment was the likely source of infection in two other case-patients with cutaneous anthrax. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biological Warfare Agents Case Reports Communicable Disease Control Communicable Diseases Environmental Exposure Environmental Pollution Epidemiology Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Biological-warfare-agents Case-studies Control-methods Disease-control Disease-incidence Disease-prevention Disease-transmission Environmental-contamination Environmental-exposure Infectious-diseases Occupational-exposure Postal-employees

  More +
• ISSN:
  1080-6040
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Georgia ; New Jersey ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  8
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20032390
• Citation:
  Emerg Infect Dis 2002 Oct; 8(10):1048-1055
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f9e0601579c16e4fdd577e86665986ab457d7ba23e7791d2c3b383816ac0872dfcde675eacf07160ed0ac47852609a9c7f93352a7b29b6be9221e5ccbedc873e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/186389/cdc_186389_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.86 MB ]