Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: mmwrq@cdc.gov. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail.
Notice to Readers: Ongoing Investigation of Anthrax --- Florida,
October 2001
On October 4, 2001, the Palm Beach County Health Department (PBCHD), the
Florida State Department of Health (FSDOH), and CDC reported a case of anthrax in a
63-year-old resident of Florida. The patient was hospitalized with the respiratory form of
anthrax and subsequently died. PBCHD, FSDOH, and CDC initiated an epidemiologic
investigation and public health surveillance to identify how infection with
Bacillus anthracis occurred and to identify other infections. An environmental investigation identified
one sample taken from the patient's workplace (America Media Inc. [AMI], Boca Raton,
Florida) as positive for anthrax. B.
anthracis also was identified in one nasal sample from
another worker in the same building, which suggests exposure. Testing of additional samples is
in progress. Public health officials, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, are continuing the investigation.
In response to these cases, PBCHD is evaluating and offering prophylactic
antibiotic treatment to persons who might have been in the building for at least 1 hour since
August 1. The incubation period from exposure to onset of illness is usually 1--7 days but may
be up to 60 days. Symptoms of inhalational anthrax include fever, muscle aches, and
fatigue that rapidly progress to severe systemic illness. Workers and visitors associated with
the AMI worksite in Florida who develop such symptoms should be evaluated thoroughly
to exclude anthrax. Clinicians who evaluate persons with exposure to anthrax should
contact their state or local health department to provide information that may assist
this investigation. This information was current as of October 10, 2001. Additional
information about the Florida investigation, prophylactic antibiotic treatment guidelines,
and anthrax is available from CDC at <http://www.bt.cdc.gov>. Public health guidance
about the management of anthrax threat letters or packages can be found at
<http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr>.
Use of trade names and commercial sources is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.
References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are
provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply
endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content
of pages found at these sites.
Disclaimer
All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from ASCII text
into HTML. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors in the HTML version.
Users should not rely on this HTML document, but are referred to the electronic PDF version and/or
the original MMWR paper copy for the official text, figures, and tables.
An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; telephone: (202) 512-1800.
Contact GPO for current prices.
**Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to
mmwrq@cdc.gov.
