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Doctors learn anti-terrorist tools By SUSAN JAY Biological weapons are easy to find and to spread, a bioterrorism expert told local doctors this week -- and there's a simple reason why we haven't seen a deadly attack. "We've been lucky so far," said Lt. Col. Ted Cieslak, one of six bioterrorism experts in the country. "I'm afraid it's going to be only a matter of time," he said, before terrorists put the puzzle together. Cieslak is a pediatrician and an infectious disease specialist at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Md. The institute conducts research and studies defenses against and production of 15 to 20 infectious disease agents that could be used in biological warfare. The institute also provides military and public training on bioterrorism. Cieslak gave an overview of the problem to local physicians and emergency service personnel Wednesday as a guest of the Jackson County Medical Society. Medford and Southern Oregon are no safer than anywhere else, Cieslak said, "because there are nuts everywhere." The good news is that there hasn't been a widespread, fatal attack in the United States, even though anthrax, one of the most deadly biological weapons, is easy to obtain and spread. The reason? No one has figured out how to spray the infectious disease found in cattle and sheep into the air, and keep the airborne particles the right size to be inhaled effectively by humans, Cieslak said. Still, anthrax is one of the most feared biological weapons, because it could kill thousands of people over a wide area. The military has a vaccine for anthrax and a number of other biological agents, including bubonic plague, botulism and smallpox. But not all of them are foolproof. The best step communities can take to counter bioterrorism is to learn and prepare for it, Cieslak said. In Jackson County, the environmental health department, city fire departments and paramedics are meeting to develop guidelines for chemical, nuclear and bioterrorist attacks. "It's better to be prepared for something like this," said Gary Stevens, manager of the county's environmental health services. Incidents that make him think there is reason for concern include the April 11, 1992, firebombing by anti-abortion activist Rachelle "Shelly" Shannon of the office of an Ashland doctor who performed abortions, and threats against county animal shelter workers in the winter of 1997, when the infamous dog, Nadas, was sentenced to death for chasing a horse. "Small Town U.S.A. isn't immune from any type of disaster to be targeted," said Erin Sawall, a Medford firefighter on the region's Hazardous Materials Team. "I think it's important that he (Cieslak) educated the medical public that there are resources that they can avail here," Sawall said, including the Hazmat team. The biggest problem with a biological weapon such as anthrax, smallpox or the plague is that no one sees them when they're released, Cieslak said. The first person to notice would likely be a physician. Anthrax causes symptoms similar to the flu, including fever and malaise. But patients die two to three days later. That's exactly why local doctors want another two-day training with Cieslak, said Dr. Erich Weber, an anesthesiologist who arranged for Cieslak's talk. Weber said he felt local doctors lacked any knowledge of bioterrorism, a subject found more and more in the news. "We basically are ultimately responsible for the medical care of our community," Weber said, "so we better be ready." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA