There's no need to panic over anthrax: Experts

There's no need to panic over anthrax: Experts

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A package bearing no return address sent from an African
country to an expatriate here was rushed for examination earlier
this month to the Bogor-based Veterinary Research Center
(Balitvet) following fears that it may have contained spores of
the anthrax bacterium.

The result: the package contained a letter, but no suspicious
materials.

Experts on communicable diseases from both the Ministry of
Health and the Ministry of Agriculture have provided assurances
that the government has not only mastered ways of dealing with
the endemic anthrax, but also has a strategy for anticipating the
population's fear of contracting the bacterium or other
biological hazards through the mail.

"Just don't get into a panic," said I Nyoman Kandun, an expert
staffer on epidemiology and environmental sanitation at the
Ministry of Health, adding: "Anthrax is curable when it is
diagnosed and treated immediately. Moreover, anthrax infection is
not contagious among humans."

Speaking at a media briefing over the weekend, the experts
explained that the bacterium that causes anthrax infection,
Bacillus anthracis, can only attack human beings effectively when
its spores are pressurized into very minute particles and
packaged in an aerosol form. As soon as the sprayed particles are
inhaled, they cause an infection in the lungs.

There are various symptoms, but generally those who are
infected with anthrax through inhalation -- the most serious form
of the disease -- suffer from severe tiredness and breathing
difficulties. The patients may suffer from shock or lose
consciousness. Without proper treatment, the patient may die
within 24 hours of exposure.

"Simple medication through an injection of penicillin or its
derivatives can cure an anthrax infection. All paramedics in
hospitals and public health centers (Puskesmas) have been well-
trained to handle diseases, including those caused by anthrax,
while the medicines are easy to get," Kandun said.

"We don't want this anthrax bacterium to cause a frightening
epidemic in our country," he added.

Many parts of the world are now in fear of anthrax-laced mail
attacks, a biological terror that has claimed at least three
Americans this month and infected 11 others, following last
month's terrorist attacks in the U.S.

Reports said that some of the items of mail had been sent from
Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia.

Bacillus anthracis is at the head of the list of bacteria used
as biological weapons because, in comparison to other bacteria,
the anthrax bug has longer stability in the environment, a
shorter incubation period, is easy to produce and is not a common
disease but can be easily treated.

Suprodjo Hardjo Utomo, Balitvet's chief researcher, pointed
out that the knowledge and the technology needed to proliferate
the spores was complex and was not widely available, removing the
possibility of widespread anthrax-breeding to generate spores in
large amounts, especially in Indonesia.

He explained that, although the spores of the bacterium were
dormant, which meant they could live for up to 60 years and could
survive on an animal's carcass, bone, fur, wool, skin, dried
blood, and in the soil and grass, they could be destroyed by
exposure to high temperatures for several hours.

Emir A. Siregar, chairman of the veterinarian commission at
the Ministry of Agriculture's directorate-general of husbandry,
pointed out that many Indonesian provinces were anthrax endemic
areas. They included, among others, Jakarta, West Java, Central
Java, Jambi, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, Central
Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and Irian Jaya.

"The bacterium has been on the earth for hundreds of years,
since the advent of animal domestication. It cannot be eradicated
but certainly can be controlled through vaccination in order to
decrease its incidence among livestock such as goats, cows, sheep
and even ostriches," he said.

However, Siregar added, instances of anthrax outbreaks
affecting human beings had only been reported in four provinces,
namely West Java, Central Java, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa
Tenggara.

Guidelines for handling suspect mail packages:

* Do not shake or empty envelopes deemed to be suspicious.

* Place them in a plastic bag or wrap them inside clothes,
papers or other containers to prevent leakage.

* Isolate the area where the suspect item was received and
prevent people from entering.

* Wash your hands to prevent any hazardous materials from coming
into contact with your face.

* If the suspect item is received in an office, report it to the
police or security guards.

* Make a list of people present in the room when the item was
received. Give the list to health centers or the police for
further examination.