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Bio-terror sparks local fears Bob Pennell photo The National Examiner, on sale at News and Smokes in west Medford, is one of several tabloids published by American Media Inc., where anthrax was found. Officials stress there is no danger from handling the newspapers and the chance of bioterrorism striking Jackson County is "extremely low." By JONEL ALECCIA News coverage about potential bioterrorism in Florida has sparked fear in Jackson County residents who last month didn't know anthrax from apples. Local public health officials have fielded dozens of worried telephone calls in the past several days, prompting a series of informational events they hope will quell mounting concern. "People are coming unglued," said Hank Collins, public health director. "I've heard everything, from people worried about biological warfare to people wondering what to do with their copy of 'The Star.' " Collins received 10 to 15 calls from readers of tabloid newspapers published by American Media of Boca Raton, Fla. Anthrax last week killed one employee of the firm and has been detected in two others. Readers fretted that anthrax contaminants might linger on newspapers transported locally and infect them. "The word from the Centers for Disease Control is that people shouldn't be worried," Collins said. "I told the women who called, 'Ma'am, you can either read them or throw them away.' " The company's tabloids, including The Sun, National Examiner, The Star, The Globe, and National Enquirer, are not printed in Florida, officials said, stressing there is no danger from handling the newspapers. Those fears are the tip of an iceberg of unnecessary concern, said Gary Stevens, the county environmental health director. He'll appear with Jackson County Commissioner Ric Holt on a radio call-in show starting at 7 this morning, and again at a public meeting Monday night. The chance of biological terrorism in Jackson County is "extremely low," said Stevens. For one thing, we're not near a major metropolitan area. For another, it's just too hard to carry out such an attack. "Anthrax is extremely difficult to get ahold of, to culture and to remain viable, and it's extremely difficult to disseminate," he said. The most recent incidence of anthrax contamination in Jackson County came in the 1970s, when the soil-borne organism was detected on a batch of imported wool. No one was sickened and the wool was incinerated, Stevens said. The possibility of infection from other potential bio-terrors identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - smallpox, botulism and pneumonic plague - is equally minimal. Stevens said he's certain that local health agencies are as prepared to respond as they can be. A $1 million federal grant two years ago gave local health departments funds specifically aimed at improving disaster capabilities, Collins noted. "The U.S. government has been concerned about these potentials for many years. First responders, law enforcement agencies and health agencies have been gearing up and developing response capabilities for some time," Stevens said. "One of our roles now is to empower people with real information." Calls for local stockpiles of anthrax vaccine are misguided, for example, Stevens said. "Anthrax vaccine is not for general consumption," he said. "There is no need to go around vaccinating everyone. There are five to six shots over 18 months and ... then a booster shot every year. It's totally impractical." By the time a biological or chemical attack was recognized, exposure would already have occurred, noted Dr. Grant Higginson, public health officer at the Oregon Department of Human Services. The likelihood of an attack is minimal, he said. "But if an attack did occur, we have an existing emergency management system to coordinate a response, just as in a natural disaster. The role of public health is to identify any unusual disease cluster quickly and ensure that treatment and prevention strategies are implemented as rapidly as possible." Collins urged the public to put fear in perspective. "We're much more likely to see an outbreak of measles than anything else," he said. One local magazine distributor agreed that panic is no solution. "We laughed about it," said the manager, who declined to be identified. "We got copies of these tabloids in and our employees had to break it down. One of our workers joked, 'I checked in the anthrax pallet,' but beyond that, I don't think there's an issue." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.