By:Jonann Brady
Pharmacies, doctors and police see concerns soar
So far, fear of anthrax exposure is spreading faster than infections. As of Monday, nine anthrax cases have been confirmed in the United States, none of them on Long Island. But that hasn't stopped Baldwin residents from contacting doctors, pharmacists and the police department about possible exposure to the bacteria.
Something in the air
Jeffrey Honig, owner of Nassau Chemists on Merrick Road, said there has been a "marked increase" in inquiries about the disease and prescriptions for Cipro, an antibiotic that fights it.
"There's a valid reason for anxiety," said Honig, who said he has plenty of Cipro in stock. "The phones aren't ringing off the hook. It's not that kind of situation, yet."
Honig said that Cipro, which is used to treat a number of infections, is given only upon exposure to anthrax, not prophylactically.
People are getting prescriptions from their doctor, though, in anticipation of a future exposure, he said.
Dr. Eric Shoenfeld, a family physician, said he received at least 20 phone calls last week with concerns regarding anthrax exposure. Patients are also calling about getting Cipro prescriptions.
"You ask them to come in and their concern lessens," said Shoenfeld. But, he added, with flu season around the corner, he expects many more patients to call with symptoms that they may mistake for anthrax infection.
"People don't know how to interpret information they're getting from the media," he said. Exposure to the anthrax bacteria does not necessarily mean the person is infected and the infection is not communicable from person to person. "The spores infect you, not bacteria from another person," he said.
While the current anthrax scare is not a public health crisis at this point, Shoenfeld said that threats of widespread bioterrorism are very real. He warned that smallpox, which killed 200 to 300 million people worldwide in the first eight decades of the 20th century, is a far greater threat than anthrax.
"I would hope that the government would assist in the acceleration of vaccines for anthrax and smallpox," said Shoenfeld.
Sinister mail
The Nassau County Police Department has received at least 100 calls about suspicious letters or packages countywide, according to Officer Mike Irise.
At the First Precinct, many residents are simply walking in with their sinister-looking mail. A spokesperson there said they've had to post a sign on the door for people to knock first before just walking in.
The department declined to put a number on how many people have called with worries about their mail. "Could I tell you how many? No. It's a lot. So many it's hard to count," said the spokesperson, who added that all suspicious mail is forwarded to the Emergency Services Unit for further investigation, and so far, no contamination has been found.
Tom Gaynor, a post office spokesperson for the New York Metro area, said that the 10,000 postal employees on Long Island handle about 6 million pieces of mail a day and, until now, have investigated only about 80 mail threats a year.
Post offices are holding daily briefings for its employees and providing gloves and masks to any employee who wants them. The United States Postal Service is also sending a letter to every houshold in America this week with tips about how to identify a suspicious piece of mail. Much of the advice is common sense, such as watching for packages with no return address. The letter advises people to put suspicious mail in a plastic bag and contact local law enforcement.
Still, people should not be unduly alarmed about anthrax contamination through the mail, said Gaynor. "It's a miniscule percentage of the mail," said Gaynor. "The mail is safe and people should not stop using it."
While bio-panic has many residents on edge, others said they're not worried at all. Joan Whitfield was waiting for a train at the Baldwin Long Island Railroad station, to commutes to her job in Hew York City as a private nurse.
She waved her hand dismissively at the mention of anthrax. "At my age, if I get it, I get it," she said. "Listen, when you already have arthritis and had cancer...."
She trailed off and continued to wait for her train.
