PUT TO THE TEST — PEF members at the state Health Department Wadsworth Center laboratories in Albany test suspicious mail for anthrax. — Photos courtesy of the NYS Health Department (Photos below of Wallace and Kacica by Sherry Halbrook)

Union's health pros tackle anthrax threat

By DENYCE DUNCAN LACY
Scores of PEF members in the state Department of Health have been on the front lines in the battle against bioterrorism, analyzing suspicious substances, advising local health and law-enforcement officials on how to recognize and treat anthrax contamination, checking state agency mailrooms and calming the fears of thousands of New Yorkers.

Union members throughout the agency have played key roles in responding to the latest terrorist attacks in America.

“We went on high alert to look for any bioterrorism attacks right after the September 11 World Trade Center attacks,” said Barbara Wallace, a public health physician 2 and the director of the department’s Bureau of Communicable Disease Control.

“There was a concern that if there were terrorist activities, there may also be bioterrorism attacks.”

Launched awareness blitz
So, Wallace said, the agency was prepared to respond when the first case of anthrax infection was reported in early October in Florida. They launched a major public awareness campaign — posting information about anthrax on the DOH web site and reaching out to health-care providers throughout the state.

Wallace’s bureau faxed and e-mailed “alert notices” to hundreds of hospitals, telling them to be on the lookout for any unusual diseases or sudden cluster of diseases.

“For example, if suddenly 20 people walk into one emergency room with unusual symptoms, that would signal the need for an investigation,” Wallace said.

The department wrote a letter to 73,000 doctors giving them guidelines for testing and treating the bacteria. They held countless conference calls and face-to-face meetings with county health departments and hospital groups. And Wallace and dozens of other PEF members spent “a huge amount of time” staffing the DOH’s toll-free phone line.

Swamped with calls
The hotline was intended to serve healthcare and law enforcement officials, but it also was soon swamped with calls from a frightened public.

“At one point, we were getting 300 calls a day,” said public health physician 2 Marilyn Kacica, the medical director of the Regional Epidemiology and Infection Control Program. She and other PEF doctors, nurses and researchers fielded calls around the clock.

“We had a lot of calls from people who received suspicious packages and didn’t know what to do, and we explained the protocols for responding in each case. If they had symptoms we encouraged them to see their physician.

“Mostly we helped by giving people information which calmed them down, or by referring them to the appropriate party,” Kacica said. “We also responded to many questions from doctors, police agencies and hospitals.”

Checking the mail
Matt London, a research scientist 4 in DOH’s Center for Environmental Health, is another PEF member whose attention has been fixed on battling bioterrorism since September 11. He and fellow PEF members Nick Pavelchak and Ron DePersis are part of a research team that’s been inspecting state agencies’ mailrooms since anthrax-tainted mail was found in the governor’s New York City office in October.

“It’s still unclear how anthrax has been spreading through the mail system, so we’ve been inspecting mailrooms to come up with recommendations on what safe-handling procedures should be,” London said.

“In our center, many people are working longer hours and shifting their work priorities to focus on bioterrorism and the World Trade Center response.”

Nonstop testing
The PEF researchers in the Health Department’s Wadsworth Center Laboratories also put in long hours, testing nearly 1,000 samples sent in by police or FBI officials, including the samples from the governor’s office and some of the samples from the suspicious mail sent to New York City media outlets, during the past two months.

The department tripled the number of staff at Wadsworth from eight to 24 to handle the increased workload, allowing testing to continue around the clock. That’s led to faster turnaround on test results and reduced anxiety for worried New Yorkers as the vast majority of the suspect substances turn out to be false alarms.

Wallace and other PEF members say DOH was prepared to respond to the anthrax crisis, in part, because of their experience with the West Nile Virus outbreak in 2000.

“We set up a similar command center to deal with that crisis and lots of people also put in long hours,” said Wallace. “Everyone pitched in. It’s part of the job.”

Kacica said, since the phone calls have slowed down, she and her co-workers are now evaluating the way the department responded and are working on recommendations to improve their response in case any new threats emerge.

Meanwhile, they remain on high alert.

“I think we’re at a much higher level of alert than ever,” Kacica said.

The Communicator Home Page
Tips for handling mail safely

• Examine unopened envelopes for foreign bodies or powder;
• Use a letter opener, not your hands;
• Open letters and packages with a minimum of movement to avoid spilling any contents;
• If your agency is a possible target for criminal acts, consider wearing gloves.

What’s suspicious mail?
• A letter or package with suspicious or threatening messages written on it;
• Letters with oily stains;
• Envelopes that are lopsided, rigid, bulky, discolored or have a strange odor (Don’t sniff it!);
• Envelopes with no return address;
• Unexpected envelopes from foreign countries;
• No postage or non-cancelled postage; and
• Improper spelling of common names, places or titles.

If it looks suspicious
• Don’t open it;
• Put it on the floor and leave the room;
• Keep others out of the room.
• Notify your supervisor, who should call 911 or the local law-enforcement authorities.

If it contains powder
• Do not panic;
• Close the package or envelope;
• Do not clean up spilled powder;
• Keep others away;
• Stop handling the suspect item;
• Close the doors and windows;
• Evacuate the room;
• Allow only qualified emergency personnel to enter;
• Do not touch your eyes, nose or any other part of your body;
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water;
• Do not brush clothes vigorously.
• Immediately call 911 or your local law-enforcement authorities.
• Shut off the building’s air-handling system;
• Make a list for investigators of all people who had actual contact with the substance.

For more information, call the NYS Health Dept., Bureau of Communicable Disease Control at 518-473-1730 (weekdays) or 518-465-9720 (after-hours emergencies);

In New York City, call the NYC Health Dept. at 212-788-9830 (weekdays) or the Poison Control Center at 212-764-7667 (after-hours emergencies).