Dr Kerryn Phelps, Health Editor, Channel Nine 'Today'
LIEBMANN: In the United States, and indeed around the world today, much is being said and written about the outbreak of anthrax in the American State of Florida where one person is dead and one other person, a second person, is known to have contracted the disease.
The Bush administration in Washington is, at the moment, not prepared to say there is a definite link between anthrax and the September 11th terrorist attacks on the cities of New York and Washington. The question is, of course, what is anthrax? Well, we've got some answers for you. Joining us now is our Health Editor, Dr Kerryn Phelps. Good morning to you.
PHELPS: Good Morning, Steve.
LIEBMANN: Let's start right there. What is it?
PHELPS: Well, it's certainly not something that we would see very commonly in Australia. And it has been known in agriculture for many many decades, and it's a disease usually of animals, cattle or sheep…
LIEBMANN: It's a bacteria?
PHELPS: It's a bacteria. It's a type of bacteria called a bacillus, which forms spores. And it's these little spores that can actually last on animal hides or in animal products or in the soil for decades. And that, I guess, is what makes anthrax so difficult because it can actually survive.
LIEBMANN: In this instance, the Florida instance, they're saying it's possible that it was spread or developed on the keyboard of a laptop, or maybe in mail?
PHELPS: They don't really know, and they're, at this stage, speculating. The thing about anthrax infection in humans is that number one it cannot be transmitted from person to person. So each individual person would have to be infected. And you'd have to inhale 8,000 of these spores in order to get a respiratory infection. People who work with infected animals, for example in countries where they don't have good veterinary public health measures, the most likely type of anthrax that they would get would be through a cut in their skin and they'd get a sort of black ulcer on their skin.
LIEBMANN: And you also, I understand you start to feel sluggish, if you get it, fever, chest pains, that sort of thing?
PHELPS: Yes, well there's the skin form, but the one that you're talking about is the inhaled form, which is the one that has happened in Florida. And that's where the spores are inhaled, and within one to two days the person is feeling like they've got a bad case of the flu. They've got aches and pains, then they can start to go blue and breathing is very difficult, coughing, and they can be dead, without treatment, within a couple of days.
LIEBMANN: So what is the treatment? And does it matter once you've got it?
PHELPS: Treatment, if it's early and not too serious an infection, is with massive doses of antibiotics, penicillin being the usual one. But there are some resistant forms of anthrax which won't respond to penicillin, so you would need to bring in one of the super antibiotics I guess, for that. Or one of the ones that the bug was sensitive to. I guess one of the really serious concerns is that when this infection gets a hold it's got a very high fatality rate, even with treatment.
LIEBMANN: So how do you prepare for something like this?
PHELPS: We have to really rely on our public health measures. Certainly, if we're looking at the possibility of terrorist attacks. At the moment it's not considered to be a high risk, although the governments around the world are certainly attempting to take care.
LIEBMANN: Taking precautions, yes.
PHELPS: Vaccination is one way, and all of the US Defense personnel are now being vaccinated. So there is a vaccine available. It's not something that is being offered to the general population, because I don't believe that the risk is being considered to warrant that at this point. But the vaccination requires three injections over a month and then another one at six months, 12 months, 18 months later, and then annual boosters to maintain immunity. So that's for the Defense personnel and anyone actually working in a laboratory with the spores.
LIEBMANN: Well, this is the first case - first cases to be reported in America in something like 25, 26 years. Let's hope…
PHELPS: Well, reporting is essential, and I think that's a big part of the response to make sure that they are able to identify an outbreak immediately, act upon it, contain it and find a source.
LIEBMANN: See you next week.
PHELPS: Thanks, Steve.
LIEBMANN: Thanks, Kerryn.
Ends