http://www.miami.com/herald/special/news/terrorism/digdocs/047269.htm

Published Wednesday, October 10, 2001

Anthrax fear close to epidemic level

BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER
cmarbin@herald.com

The escalating fear among some South Floridians about possible exposure to the lethal anthrax bacteria may be a more serious public health hazard than the infection itself, officials said Tuesday.

In recent days, state public health offices have been flooded with hundreds of calls from fearful Floridians, authorities say.

``From where the disease is at this point, probably the panic is more dangerous than the actual disease,'' said David Roach, administrator of the Broward County Health Department.

``We are reaching a point where the fear is becoming an epidemic in itself,'' said Dr. Jim James, director of the Miami-Dade Health Department. ``People are scared, and we have to come to grips with that fear.''

Doctors also have been bombarded with calls, some from people demanding access to the anthrax vaccine; others are asking for antibiotic prescriptions, even though they are not sick. Some have visited doctors and emergency rooms certain that their raspy cough and runny nose are telltale signs of anthrax.

To quell the panic, the Florida Department of Health on Monday opened a toll-free hot line. On Tuesday, 12 health department staffers were fielding nonstop calls to the line, said April Crowley, a health department spokeswoman.

WEST NILE VIRUS

In recent weeks, administrators with the Department of Health -- a relatively quiet state agency more accustomed to handling rabies infections than bioterrorist threats -- already were working overtime alerting Floridians to the dangers of the West Nile Virus, a potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease.

A medical alert for the disease is in place for 49 of Florida's 67 counties, and the health deparment has confirmed eight cases of human infection.

``This makes West Nile virus look pretty calm,'' Crowley said.

Crowley was in Boca Raton on Monday with other health officials investigating the anthrax infection at a supermarket tabloid office.

``The minute I stepped off the plane, my cellphone rang. A consumer in Palm Beach was demanding the [anthrax] vaccine, then the vaccine for smallpox.''

Linda Cox, a Fort Lauderdale allergist, said a handful of patients have visited her office this week seeking the antibiotic drug Ciprofloxin -- which can be used to treat a patient infected with anthrax -- even though the drug is not indicated for their symptoms.

``I said this is not something normally prescribed for sinusitis,'' Cox said. The patients ask for the drug anyway, suggesting they may not ``tolerate'' the more traditional drugs.

``I've heard that some colleagues are stockpiling antibiotics,'' Cox added. ``Some of us are not necessarily acting rationally. And I'm seeing this in the physician community, which is supposed to be the group that analyzes the data and looks at the real risk.''

`EXERCISE CAUTION'

The Florida Medical Association went so far as to issue a press release Tuesday urging physicians to ``exercise caution'' before prescribing antibiotics to prevent anthrax infection.

``We are concerned that the indiscriminate use of antibiotics for such purpose might cause adverse effects and can contribute to the emergence of resistant strains of common infectious diseases,'' said Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger, chairman of the medical association's Emergency Preparedness Task Force.

Fears about the disease, though largely unfounded, are still understandable, said John Carnes, a psychologist and director of medical education at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. Fear, and even panic, can fill the void when people feel they aren't getting enough information about possible threats to their well-being, he said.

``I think panic arises when people perceive themselves to be under great threat -- and they feel powerless to influence the situation,'' Carnes said.

``It's the uncertainty,'' Carnes added. ``People are becoming very, very afraid. And the thing that drives that is a lack of information.''

Or misinformation, some health experts say. The last few days, talk radio shows have been flooded with calls from listeners who say health officials are covering up greater numbers of anthrax victims, or repeating stories about other diseases that allegedly have been spread.

Roach, the Broward health administrator, said he received word that a ``new disease,'' called the Klingerman Virus, was circulating and had infected 23 people -- killing seven. ``If you read [the e-mail], it looks very official,'' Roach said. ``But it's a total hoax. There is no Klingerman virus.''

And many Floridians appear unwilling to listen when authorities explain that most rumors are false, and there is no anthrax epidemic. ``Some will not take no for an answer, Roach said. ``They get very upset.''

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.