-----Original Message-----
From: Anthrax Reproter
Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2001 6:14 PM
To: 'gicocktail@cs.com'
Cc: Ahoey1@Bellsouth. Net (E-mail)
Subject: IU Physicians Battle Anthrax


November 3, 2001
Indianapolis, Indiana

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Indiana University Physicians Aid in Front-Line Battle Against Anthrax Epidemic
 
Dubé, Spinola, Langley, others, assist Health Department by waging war against anthrax scare that threatens Indianapolis area postal workers

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An elite physician strike force, comprised of Infectious Disease specialists from Indiana University School of Medicine, has been assisting officials from the Marion County Health Department in dealing with the latest anthrax scare right here in America's Heartland. Following the discovery of an anthrax-tainted mail-handling apparatus that was being shipped to Indianapolis for repair, it became apparent that even Midwesterners would not be immune to the threat. The package containing the tainted item, which was processed at the central mail handling facility in Indianapolis, was not felt to have anthrax spores on its surface. Indeed, only one of the samples taken from inside the box at the repair facility turned up positive. Nonetheless, health officials charged with the responsibility to limit the risk of disease to local residents, led by Virginia Caine, MD, of the Marion County Health Department, decided to offer antibiotic prophylaxis to mail workers who may have been involved with handling the package in question.



The Indiana University team was led by Stan Spinola, MD, Chief of Infectious Diseases and Professor of Medicine at the IU School of Medicine. Dr. Spinola, an acknowledged authority figure in the field of how bacteria cause disease, was more than up to the task. "My division and I felt an obligation to help," explained Spinola. "We are experts in infectious disease problems, and welcomed the opportunity to be of service to Dr. Caine, the Health Department, and the citizens of Indiana. Plus, I got to go for a ride in Professor Dubé's car. I don't like driving at 4 AM."



This team of infection specialists ventured undaunted into the bleak Indianapolis night to meet with hundreds of US Postal Service employees from 1 AM until 4 AM this particular Saturday morning. Dr. Carol Langley was one of them. "After Dr. Spinola and Dr. Caine explained the nature of the exposure and the risks, it was up to us to prescribe antibiotics for the exposed workers," explained Langley, herself a noted faculty physician-researcher at IU. "We screened employees for symptoms of anthrax, and made decisions on the best antibiotic to use for people with other medical conditions and allergies."



Other efforts centered on prevention. Dr. M. Philip Dubé, a widely-recognized icon in the field of HIV/AIDS research, also assisted in the prescription of antibiotics like doxycycline. "Although we did not see anyone with symptoms that suggested they already had anthrax, it was rewarding to be of some reassurance to these postal workers," commented the angular, yet cerumenous, clinician-scientist.



"The use of proper eye protection has seldom been the focus of airborne-disease outbreaks," asserted Dubé. "I wanted to explore the proper prophylactic use of these goggles, for one," insisted the philanthropic, yet semi-comatose, physician. Dubé, trained in the specialty of Infectious Diseases at the University of Southern California, claims the use of protective ocular devices is crucial.



"I obtained a suspicious letter from a group known as 'ACIDFast Racing'," Dubé continued. "Much additional work is needed in this field before we can feel entirely safe," concluded the carbonated, yet urticarial, specialist. "Things simply do not always turn out the way we expected."



"I thought I would do a "Carnak the Magnificent' on this one," admitted the whimsical, yet hyperbaric, Indianapolis-area resident. "But it didn't work out. I just thank the Lord for giving me the foresight to wear those goggles. But it might not be the Lord you are thinking about. It is Jon Lord, the Lord of the Keyboard, you know, from Deep Purple."
 
Anyone having any information about potential anthrax exposures is encouraged to contact their local authorities.
 
 
ANTHRAX REPORTER
 
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