Or something like that.
I rarely watch TV, but one of the few things I watch every now and then are reruns of the multiple incarnations of Law & Order shows when I run into them on TNT or one of those cable stations. They have all kinds of "ripped from the headlines" story plots, but this is the first time I can recall where a news story was ripped from L&O (well, except that it takes place in Danbury, Connecticut instead of Manhattan):
Two people in Danbury have been infected with anthrax contracted from animal skins.Officials say Ase-AmenRa Kariamu contracted 'cutaneous anthrax' from animals skins brought from Africa to make a drum. Kariamu makes and restores drums made of animal hides.
Of course, as the title notes, the L&O plot line itself was based on something that actually happens: the most common way an individual contracts cutaneous anthrax is via handling animal skins which are contaminated with the bacterium, so it's not as if this is some freak occurrence.
In the show, I think, the anthrax-contaminated drum was being beaten in a street performance, causing some of the bacteria to become aerosolized. When an individual contracts anthrax via inhalation, this form of the disease is much deadlier. Cutaneous anthrax has only about a 20% fatality rate if untreated (and rarely fatal if treated with antibiotics), while inhalational anthrax is almost uniformly fatal if not treated very early after exposure.
Of course, both the show and reality had to consider the possibility of terrorism:
The FBI says it's aware of the situation, but says it is not a case of terrorism.
"We are taking the precautionary measures to make sure that the public health is protected by making sure any contaminated hides are removed from the location," Boughton said.
And while the show focused on the hunt for bad guys, the reality is that the biggest problems in this case are the lingering anthrax spores, which are very difficult to get rid of (and causing major issues for the neighbors):
Police closed off an area located on Route 37 near the intersection of Pembrooke and Padanaram Roads. Emergency crews at the scene are wearing protective suits and a decontamination unit has been set up outside the home.
Recall that it took many hundreds of man hours to decontaminate the facilities affected in the 2001 anthrax attacks (hard to believe it's been almost 6 years; the anniversary is right around the corner). Though this is going to represent a big pain to the community, at least it sounds like in this case, no one has been seriously sickened by the exposure--knock on wood.
Update: more on this from yesterday's New York Times.
Image from http://www.buddytv.com/articles/svu-cast.jpg
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In the show, I think, the anthrax-contaminated drum was being beaten in a street performance, causing some of the bacteria to become aerosolized.
Is that even possible? I was under the impression that aerosolizing anthrax is extremely difficult when you're trying to do it deliberately.
Well, it's possible. All it would do is send it into the air so it could be breathed in by people close in the area--which can be done manually with just about any bacterium. What it wouldn't do is keep it suspended in the air and disperse it widely, which is indeed a lot more difficult.
due to a scare in 2001, my office was quarantined and its workers tested for anthrax (not due to a hoax, just a nervous mail clerk and runaway over-reaction)
needless to say, i remember the anthrax-by-mail attacks quite well. it's a strange mixture of sadness, rage, and amusement that "we" (the US) never managed to identify the party or parties responsible
but it's also why i chuckle at the "no terrorist attacks in the US since 9-11" mantra
Rabies 'could be gone in decade'
Hmmm? Isn't there a reservoir for rabies in animals other than dogs?
They're talking specifically about a dog-adapted strain; I'll have more on that up Monday.