# Another Anthrax report? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 7, 2001, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878 "2001-10-07T03:23:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![suziek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@suziek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suziek)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/1 "2001-10-07T03:23:00Z")
Whitley Streiber, the host on the sunday Dreamland radio program (Art Bell’s Coast to Coast program during the week)said that he had received information (didn’t say from where) that there was another case of Anthrax in Florida but that he had checked all the major news sites and was not able to confirm this. Has anyone out there seen anything? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/2 "2001-10-07T05:15:14Z")
Whitley Streiber, the _Communion_ UFO guy, which they made into a terrible movie starring Christopher Walken? And, umm…Art Bell? _The_ Art Bell? As Art Bell, the parapsychology guy? As in the “here are some [photos](http://www.artbell.com/ghosts18.html) of actual ghosts” Art Bell? That Art Bell? And they say there’s a new case of anthrax in Florida? Hmm… Welp, I guess there’s nothing else to do but get out the old doughboy gas mask and put some plywood over the windows, the End is Near. I presume the reason Whitley can’t find it mentioned anywhere is because the Gray Men have CNN in total lockdown. They can do that, you know… [sub]um, to address the OP–no, I haven’t heard anything[/sub] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/3 "2001-10-07T05:35:53Z")
Actually, I heard it on NPR today, too, which I might regard as somewhat more reputable than Art Bell. Or at least delivered in more cultured accents, particularly when they’re rebroadcasting the BBC. It’s in the Miami Herald, as it turns out: [http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/national/digdocs/083425.htm](http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/national/digdocs/083425.htm) ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/4 "2001-10-07T05:48:15Z")
I don’t think the Government would want to hush up cases of anthrax. The best way to contain the damage is to get the public health system geared up so people are on the lookout for it. However, a deliberate release of anthrax spores to kill one person doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/5 "2001-10-07T16:51:01Z")
Yabob, your link doesn’t say, “there was another case of anthrax reported in Florida”, which is what Suzie was saying that Whitley Streiber said. What it actually says is, “They went and looked, and there are NO other reported cases”, which is the opposite. > [@](#): > > A day after Robert Stevens’ condition became public, doctors in South Florida and at several hospitals across the country received orders or decided on their own to reexamine certain cases, this time looking for traces of inhalational anthrax, a strain of the disease that is nearly always fatal. > > Even as health officials urged calm in Florida, they aggressively pursued doctors’ reports of possible new cases – including a 75-year-old Miami-Dade resident – **all of which had proved false on Friday, said Wiersma.** > > `Three cases have gotten our attention and we feel very comfortable that they are not anthrax. . . . We had several leads that were highly suspicious **that we've ruled out,**'' he said, adding that `each passing hour that we don’t turn up a new case . . . is very good news.’’ > > Late this week, **investigators in Florida were able to individually rule out suspected additional cases** ``on the order of hours,’’ with assistance from a high-tech lab technique – called PCR technology – that they are using at a state-run medical lab in Miami-Dade, Wiersma said. > > Researchers insert a genetic probe into either a blood sample, cerebral fluid or material collected from the lungs to search of evidence of anthrax DNA. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2001, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/6 "2001-10-07T17:48:25Z")
OK. Depends on how you parse out “another”, I guess. The NPR report was the first I’d heard of the anthrax case at all, so I read that as (another anthrax case on a worldwide basis over an unspecified time interval) which happened to be in Florida, not as (another case in Florida specifically). To me, the anthrax part was the news. ---
**Author:** ![suziek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@suziek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suziek)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/7 "2001-10-08T06:00:32Z")
Dear Duck, Duck: I take it you don’t find Whitley Streiber a credible source. I don’t care for his program all that much, but I do like Art Bell because he isn’t afraid to at least address some of those human experiences you can’t plaster over with left-brained explanations. A sense of wonder is hard to find these days. However, I’ve yet to forgive him entirely for all that damm food and water I stored before Y2K. … And how else would you test a method of transmission if not using one person? Less suspicious. “They” hopefully aren’t biological experts (unless they went to a U.S. biological weapons of mass destruction expert training school) which is next door to the flight school. Anyway, I’m glad to hear that the Florida health authorities haven’t found any more cases (in Florida); Tis’ a mystery though how this individual contracted such a rare form just at this moment in time. Okay, end of story. ---
**Author:** ![suziek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@suziek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suziek)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/8 "2001-10-08T06:33:09Z")
Look like there was another victim, and the anthrax bacterium was found in the building where the first victim worked: [http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/10/08/florida.anthrax.case/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/10/08/florida.anthrax.case/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/9 "2001-10-08T06:43:42Z")
The report stated that the other person showed that s/he had been exposed to the bacterium, but didn’t have the disease. ---
**Author:** ![suziek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@suziek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suziek)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/10 "2001-10-08T07:49:08Z")
> **[MSNBC News - Breaking News and News Today | Latest News](https://www.msnbc.com/)** > > MSNBC breaking news and the latest news for today. Get daily news from local news reporters and world news updates with live audio & video from our team. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/11 "2001-10-08T15:25:07Z")
[ABC News confirms the story.](http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/anthraxcase2011008.html) Hard to believe officials are still taking the stance that it was contracted “naturally.” Looks mighty fishy to me. ---
**Author:** ![suziek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@suziek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suziek)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/12 "2001-10-08T17:23:21Z")
I agree. The bacterium is in the building itself. I believe they don’t want to cause a panic and that is why they are proceeding so cautiously. I just pray they don’t find it in any other locations. If it is intentional, the choice of a site is puzzling. Convenience? The hijackers and their cohorts were in Florida. Maybe just to see if it “works” introducing it in whatever manner they used? Okay, I don’t want to go off the deep end. Maybe all this is a gigantic coincidence. [http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/10/08/florida.anthrax.case/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/10/08/florida.anthrax.case/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/13 "2001-10-08T17:48:40Z")
I have read reports that bin Laden’s followers were trained to release Anthrax by dumping it into the ventilation systems of buildings. It’s conceivable that this is what happened here, though we need to wait for more information before we jump to conclusions. In the interim, I sure hope building managers are taking steps to secure their ventilation systems, just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/14 "2001-10-08T18:04:01Z")
Nice. I think the building they closed is right across the street from where I work. Good thing I didn’t know that yesterday, I was feeling like shit and probably would have been stayed up all night writing my Last Will And Testament. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/15 "2001-10-08T18:14:32Z")
What none of the articles I’ve read so far has bothered mentioning is that the building they closed is in Boca Raton and some of the WTC terrorists were living in Delray Beach, which is **right next to** Boca Raton. It’s the next city North of Boca. It’s like a 5 or 10 minute drive from their apartment complex to this building. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/16 "2001-10-08T18:17:42Z")
I love it! The terrorists have vowed to strike at the very heart of America, so they have targeted our tabloids for their anthrax bombs! Yes, the office building where both these men worked houses the Florida offices of _The Sun, The National Enquirer_, and one other supermarket rag. I heard this morning that anthrax was found on one man’s keyboard. Funny in a sick sort of way. I ask this question- is there “wild” anthrax? Does it currently exist outside the laboratory? Was it possible for the first man to “catch” it “naturally?” Of course, there’s no need to go “terrorist action” on this just yet. It wouldn’t be the first time that the good old US of A lost a grip on some of it’s own bugs. Just ask Utah. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/17 "2001-10-08T18:22:51Z")
PS- Whitley Streiber- is he referred to as a “correspondent”, or what? Kind of funny. Reminds me of a print ad I saw that referred to Wade Davis as just a cultural anthropologist, rather than mentioning his very interesting book, _The Serpent & The Rainbow_, in which he says he was made into a zombie, but got better later! ---
**Author:** ![johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnson)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/18 "2001-10-08T18:31:39Z")
Wonder what the headlines in the _Enquirer_ will say… **Revtim** , you should have a will anyway. Now get to it. I’ve seen speculation that this is not a terrorist attack because the first gentleman’s anthrax responded to penicillen. Terrorists would obviously use a strain that was resistent to penicillen. ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/19 "2001-10-08T18:32:58Z")
Does anyone have any reliable statistics on yearly cases of human anthrax in the US? I found one report dated in 1999 that said “no confirmed cases of human anthrax in the past decade” [here.](http://www.fda.gov/ola/1999/vaccine.html) Nevermind…[All you ever wanted to know about Anthrax, direct from the CDC.](http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol5no4/cieslak.htm) > [@](#): > > Inhalational anthrax, also known as woolsorters’ disease, has been an occupational hazard of slaughterhouse and textile workers; immunization of such workers has all but eliminated this hazard in Western nations. As a weapon, however, anthrax would likely be delivered by aerosol and, consequently, be acquired by inhalation. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2001, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878/20 "2001-10-08T19:22:39Z")
I just got confirmation, the building is indeed right across the street from where I work. The place is swarming with cops and reporters according to a coworker I just phoned. I took the day off, so I’m missing the excitement. The guy I talked to had another possible theory, although he admitted it’s kind of weak. The local university in Boca Raton, FAU (most famous graduate = Carrot Top) was built on an old military base, and he theorized that recent construction might have kicked up old Anthrax spores from when they might have been doing biowarfare research there. Unlikely, but possible. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-anthrax-report/85878.md?page=2)