Acting
Health and Senior Services Commissioner Dr. George T. DiFerdinando,
Jr. announced today a suspected case of cutaneous anthrax in a Delaware
resident who works as a postal worker in the South Jersey Processing
and Distribution Facility in Bellmawr (Camden County) New Jersey.
Dr. DiFerdinando said that the postal worker has responded to treatment,
is doing fine, and scheduled to return to work. The postal worker
first presented with symptoms on October 13.
"This
suspected case of cutaneous - or skin anthrax - will prompt further
active surveillance throughout the state by public health officials
in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware," said Dr. DiFerdinando.
"I am still urging residents to stay calm, but vigilant. Observe
your surroundings and report anything unusual to the police."
Dr.
DiFerdinando reiterated that the risk of contracting anthrax is
low and that all the people who have contracted skin anthrax have
recovered or are recovering with antibiotic therapy.
Dr.
DiFerdinando said that the United States Postal Service, the Department
of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) would be coordinating the environmental
sampling to ensure consistency with other postal facilities already
in the process of being tested. The United States Postal Service
has closed the facility at least while the environmental testing
is being done.
According to the CDC and DHSS, the health risk to other workers
at the South Jersey facility is low given that the worker's skin
lesion developed on October 13th indicating an exposure time consistent
with letters known to have passed through the Route 130 Mail Processing
Facility in Hamilton Township.
Assistant
Commissioner and State Epidemiologist Eddy Bresnitz, MD said that
although the risk from exposure is felt to be low, the DHSS, the
CDC and the postal facility will make a 10-day course of prophylactic
antibiotics available to those workers who request such therapy
to further reduce this low risk. Dr. Bresnitz urged all workers
with any recent dermatological or pulmonary symptoms to see a physician
at this time.
Dr.
Bresnitz said that the DHSS and CDC have established an active surveillance
system for diagnosing inhalational anthrax in New Jersey - that
now extends to Pennsylvania and will now be expanded to Delaware
in light of this most recent case of skin anthrax. In this system,
26 hospitals in central New Jersey and select Pennsylvania hospitals
send in daily information on persons admitted to an Intensive Care
Unit who have symptoms that could be inhalational anthrax. The hospitals
also provide daily reviews of emergency room visits and microbiology
laboratory results.
For
detecting cutaneous anthrax, these hospitals also send in reports
of skin disease that may be cutaneous anthrax as part of the active
surveillance system. DHSS and CDC clinicians follow up on these
patients to determine if they require further testing. Information
on the diagnosis of anthrax is available on the DHSS website and
has been disseminated through local health departments in the state
to emergency room physicians, primary care physicians and dermatologists.
To
date, investigators have examined more than 54 reports. The majority
of these reports were deemed unlikely based on information obtained
from the hospital, physician or the patient.
In
addition to this suspected case of skin anthrax in a Delaware resident,
the DHSS and CDC are reporting the following:
|
Patients |
Patient
Status |
Conditions |
| New
Jersey resident with Cutaneous Anthrax |
Confirmed
by CDC on Oct 29 |
Released
from hospital and recovering |
| West
Trenton Postal Worker with Cutaneous Anthrax |
Confirmed
by CDC on Oct. 18 |
Recovering |
| Route
130 Hamilton Mail Processing Facility Worker with Cutaneous
Anthrax |
Listed
as Suspected by CDC on Oct. 18 |
Recovering |
| Route
130 Hamilton Mail Processing Facility Worker with Cutaneous
Anthrax |
Listed
as confirmed on Oct. 19 by Pennsylvania Department of Health |
Recovering |
| Route
130 Hamilton Mail Processing Facility Worker with Inhalational
Anthrax |
Confirmed
by CDC on Oct 28. Listed as suspected by CDC on Oct. 23. |
Fair
condition and still hospitalized |
| Route
130 Mail Hamilton Processing Facility Worker with Inhalational
Anthrax |
Confirmed
by CDC on Oct. 29 Listed as suspected on Oct. 25 by CDC. |
Discharged
from hospital and recovering |
The
DHSS has established a bioterrorism phone line at the Emergency
Operations Center at 609-538-6030 that is open between 8 am and
11 pm until further notice. Hearing-impaired residents with anthrax-related
concerns can contact the New Jersey Relay Center by dialing either
711 or 1-800- 852-7899. The Relay Center will convey the message
to DHSS at 609-538-6030. Information is also available on the website
at www.state.nj.us/health.
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