The Tribune - Windows - Main Feature--Breathing new life into samadhis by Roopinder Singh

THE fear is real and felt. Across the globe, over the oceans and past national boundaries panic has spread like a contagious disease. Its bearer — a parcel containing a "white powder." So potent is its threat that across the globe terror-stricken people are scrambling for cover against an enemy which is invisible. Even India, which has no real stake in the America-led war against the perpretators of the September 11 bombing of the World Trade Towers in New York, has issued a red alert to all its states and union territories to exercise utmost vigilance against bio-terrorism. As early as October 10, the Centre issued detailed notes to various governments on steps to be taken to combat outbreaks of virus engineered by "evil-doers" as President George W Bush called these terrorists.

The bio-terrorists struck even before the Americans could recover from the devastating September 11 attacks that killed thousands and shattered millions. This time the strike is not a big TV spectacle like the WTC bombings. It is a silent reprisal by a faceless enemy whose aim is to spread terror — the terror of getting annihilated by biological and chemical attacks, and, most devastatingly, the terror of just waiting, waiting for a genocide to happen. Biological and chemical weapons have the capability of travelling unseen in the air and causing mass deaths in a matter of days.

The dread of being stalked before the final kill has filled millions of hearts ever since Robert Stevens, a photo editor for the Florida-based Sun tabloid, died due to Anthrax exposure last week. Since then, reports have been pouring in from nations across the globe about more anthrax finds: a few correct, most false alarms.

The alarming news, however, is that the number of cases of anthrax exposure have been rising by the day. Among many others, a seven-month-old baby in in New York, two scientists and a detective in Miami, five newspaper employees in Florida have tested positive for exposure to anthrax. Earlier this week, a letter opened in the office of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle "had anthrax in it," and, more recently, 110 envelopes containing a "powdery substance" were sent to abortion clinics in 15 US states.

Most of the cases reported, fortunately, continue to be hoaxes, push-the-panic-button reactions.

In Trenton, New Jersey, two office buildings were evacuated early last week after workers opened packages containing white powder. Tests found no traces of any pathogens. A US Airways flight made an emergency landing in Indianapolis, after a "powdery substance" was found on board. It turned out to be non-toxic.

On Tuesday as an office worker in suburban Virginia sat on a toilet seat, he discovered a message written on the toilet paper: "You are sitting in anthrax and you are dead." The Hazardous Materials Team was urgently called. It turned out to be a false alarm.

Similarly, a woman called the FBI to report that there was some powdery substance on her computer keyboard. The investigative agency found that the mysterious substance was nothing but fallen crumbs of the cookies she had eaten.

Anthrax is not contagious, but fear of it has spread like a deadly epidemic. Unlike the familiar threats like military strikes or flu (which kills more than 20,000 Americans each year), the uncontrollable risks like anthrax are difficult to comprehend. What to protect, what not to protect? What to guard yourself against, what not to? These are just a few of the questions plaguing the American minds today.

As such, paranoid masses of a nation known to wield authority over the world have reportedly been queuing up for gas masks, anti-anthrax drugs and anti-biotics. Besides the frantic checking of mail and screening of air passengers, bottled water is being stocked up out of fear that terrorists may infect the public water supply. But how real is the fear? How difficult or easy is it to deliver and effectively use bio-terror weapons?

Though President Bush has recently hinted at a possible link between bin Laden and the spate of Anthrax-related incidents, experts feel that terrorists bent upon mass killings would have used an antibiotic- resistant strain, which is genetically engineered. The motive, they say, is to spread panic in the so-called free world rather than kill people on a large scale. The Florida virus, they point out, was not genetically developed, it was vulnerable to antibiotics.

Former Pentagon health official, Dr Sue Bailey, maintains that anthrax is an imperfect weapon because it is hard to obtain and disperse. Other experts too confirm that it is extremely difficult to transform the lethal Bacillus Anthracis into a weapon for mass destruction. It is one thing to have Anthrax and another to infect people with it, says Paul Keim, a well-known researcher specialising in lethal biological agents in the University of Northern Arizona lab. "I can access any Anthrax strain, but I can’t make it into a powder. That takes sophisticated technology. I think we can be hopeful that’s a big enough a hurdle to deter most, if not all, terrorists," Keim adds. To make the anthrax strain into its most lethal form — pulmonary anthrax — the spores have to be developed to just the right size. If the spores are too small, they will not be able to do any damage for they will be exhaled. If they are too large, they will not get inhaled and will fall to the ground.

Even bombs carrying anthrax are not effective in dispersing the germs because the explosion is likely to destroy them. Spreading the bacterium with aerosols is a hard task too, for unless it is in spore form, the sprayers can get clogged by it.

A failed attempt by the Aum Shinrikyo cult in Japan to kill people travelling in the metro trains by spraying mists of Anthrax can be viewed as both an encouraging and a discouraging sign. Encouraging because the cult did not succeed in even injuring anyone despite working on anthrax and botulinum, the most deadly poison, for several years. The members squirted the agent in its liquid form. In this form, the bacteria is less likely to reside in the victims’ lungs, from where the disease spreads to the rest of the body.

The disturbing sign, however, is that the authorities never caught on to the cult’s designs until it attacked a Tokyo subway with sarin nerve gas, killing 12 persons and injuring thousands.

Besides this chemical attack, there have been at last 15 instances in the last 30 years when bio-weapons have been used. They have been deployed by the Vietnamese in Laos, South African forces in Angola, Soviet troops in Afghanistan, the CIA in Cuba and Iraqis in Iran.

The growth of this technology dates back to World War II when Japanese soldiers used allied prisoners to carry out their experiments in bio-warfare in Manchuria. After the war, the Allies shamelessly demanded the results of the experiments for the US and in exchange offered not to prosecute the war criminals.

Has the development of bio-warfare technology come full circle? It wouldn’t be amiss to say that the present plight of the Americans is majorly of their own making. It is ironical, how the US, which now seems most endangered by germ warfare, had taken the lead to reproduce these deadly weapons way back in the 40s. It has not only conducted several bio-weapons tests in the 50s and the 60s, but has also been carrying out mock biological attacks in more than 200 sites across the country.

Interestingly, just a month back, The New York Times disclosed the whereabouts of Pentagon’s secret germ warfare factory in Nevada desert, which generated enough bacteria to kill millions.

With no signs of a let-up in the biowarfare threats in the near future, several countries in the world, including India, have sounded a red alert. While President Bush has requested people to live their lives as normally as possible, and not be intimidated by terrorists, the official machinery has taken up elaborate steps to deal with the threat. These include stockpiling enough antibiotics to treat 12 million people for 60 days and ordering 40 million doses of a new small pox vaccine.

India, which too could be made a target of bio-terror attacks as per experts, has also geared up to take adequate steps to tackle the problem.

Even as it is imperative to be caution and take preventive steps, to fight bacterial attacks, the bottomline remains the need to exercise restraint — to act calmly in the face of any danger— real or perceived.

Frequently asked questions

What is anthrax?

Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming Bacterium Bacillus Anthracis. Anthrax most commonly occurs in wild and domestic lower vertebrates (cattle, sheep, goats, camels, antelopes, and other herbivores), but it can also occur in humans when they are exposed to infected animals or tissue from infected animals.

How is anthrax transmitted?

Anthrax infection can occur in three forms: cutaneous (skin), inhalation, and gastrointestinal. B. anthracis spores can live in the soil for many years, and humans can become infected with anthrax by handling products from infected animals or by inhaling anthrax spores from contaminated animal products. Anthrax can also be spread by eating undercooked meat from infected animals. It is rare to find infected animals in the United States.

Can you contract anthrax by touching a doorknob, stair railing or any inanimate object?

The form of anthrax that is most worrisome is "inhalation anthrax," which is not acquired by simply touching an object. Another form called cutaneous anthrax where the bacterium may enter the skin through a wound, is rare, particularly in the United States. It has a relatively low fatality rate. Anthrax spores can survive for at most 24 hours in the air when disseminated as an airborne aerosol. If released outdoors, the spores would be killed off by exposure to ultraviolet radiation (sunlight), although they could persist for many years if buried in soil. Moreover, although anthrax spores could contaminate building surfaces for several hours, they would adhere to the surfaces and would be unlikely to be reaerosolised to cause pulmonary infection. Indoors, anthrax spores would be able to persist for significantly longer periods and might be reaerosolised by vigorous activity, such as typing on a keyboard.

Is anthrax contagious?

No, anthrax is not a communicable disease. It cannot be contracted from another individual. Thus, even family members in very close proximity to an infected individual would have no increased risk of contracting anthrax.

If one develops flu or cold-like symptoms, what are the first indications that one has smallpox, anthrax or some other pathogen?

Unfortunately, the initial symptoms of some of these serious diseases are not easily differentiated from influenza.

While nobody should panic, when in doubt contact your physician.

How effective could a mass-mailing of anthrax be? Could a biological or chemical agent be distributed using a newspaper?

It's unlikely that sufficient spores would be distributed on the surface of newspapers. Some microbes can be distributed in dry form in envelopes. If individuals open an envelope with a suspicious powder, they should place it in a "zip-lock" type plastic bag and seal it, and then contact the local officials or other authorities. There have been a number of hoaxes concerning anthrax -- probably more than one a day.

Types of biological weapons

Biological weapons are defined as any infectious agent such as a bacteria or virus used intentionally to inflict harm upon others. This definition is often expanded to include biologically-derived toxins and poisons.

Types of biological weapons

Anthrax: The disease affects livestock, and has long been a focus of biological warfare research and development programmes because it comes from relatively tough spores that can be sprayed over a battlefield or a city. Another name for anthrax is woolgatherer’s disease. Textile workers are commonly vaccinated against it.

Anthrax is most effective as a weapon when converted to a powder, which can be inhaled.

While in its first phase, anthrax is relatively easy to detect and treat. It initially causes flu-like symptoms, followed by severe chest congestion. Anthrax can then go dormant for several days. In the second phase, it is almost always fatal — vast numbers of the toxin-producing organisms accumulate in the body. Anthrax spores can live for years in carcasses buried in the ground.

Ricin: One of the most toxic naturally occurring substances known. It comes from the seeds of castor bean plants — which are also used to make castor oil. (The oil is derived from pressing the beans and keeping the ricin out.) Ricin was the poison used to kill the Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markow in London in 1978. The toxin was injected into him from the tip of an umbrella as Markow was waiting for a bus.

Botulism: Like anthrax, the bacteria for botulism can be found in soil, and the disease occasionally strikes people who eat badly canned food or fish in which the bacteria has grown. The bacteria produce an extremely toxic substance, botulinum, that causes blurred vision, dry mouth, difficulty in swallowing or speaking, weakness and other symptoms. Paralysis, respiratory failure and death follow. Botulism can be treated with an anti-toxin, but it doesn’t do much good after the first burst of symptoms.

Smallpox: This disease was obliterated fully in 1980. The last known case was in Somalia. Smallpox is characterised in its classic form by the sudden onset of fever, headache, backache, vomiting, extreme physical exhaustion and even delirium. About two to three days after the onset of illness the true smallpox rash appears. Some Americans have been vaccinated against smallpox, but the vaccination lasts only 10 years. According to the CDC, vaccinations were stopped in the United States in 1971.

Clostridium Perfringens: A common source of food poisoning, the bacteria likes meat that has been kept at warm temperatures. Like anthrax, it forms spores that can live in soil.

Though its spores are less nasty in food, the organism causes gas gangrene when it finds its way into open battlefield wounds. Gas gangrene produces pain and swelling as the infected area bloats with gas. Later it causes shock, jaundice and death. Like anthrax, it can be treated with antibiotics such as penicillin — though in a laboratory, it’s not difficult to produce antibiotic-resistant strains by exposing the bacteria to non-lethal doses.

Camelpox: Little data exists on human exposure to this virus, which Iraq is said to have been developing. It is classified as among the riskiest (and illegal) foreign animal pathogens. Its possession, use and importation is outlawed in the United States.

Other concerns In addition to the diseases listed above, U.S. farmers and agriculturists worry that several foreign farm diseases — such as mad cow, African swine fever and soybean rust — could be used by terrorists to contaminate livestock and farm produce.

Types of chemical weapons

The most common chemical agents include:

Sarin is a colourless, odourless nerve gas the Aum Shinrikyo cult used on a Tokyo subway in March 1995, killing 12 people and injuring more than 5,500. Sarin, which has been produced by the United States, Russia (and the Soviet Union) and Iraq, is a member of the organophosphate chemical family, as are many modern pesticides. It can be difficult to mix properly and safely, and can also be highly unstable.

Soman: With sarin and another chemical weapon known as lewisite — a blistering agent — the nerve agent soman is said to have made up much of the former Soviet Union’s chemical arsenal. It is considered a volatile substance effective mainly through inhalation.

VX, or O-ethyl S-diisopropylaminomethyl methylphosphonothiolate is brownish in liquid form, and its vapours are odourless. The United States began producing VX in April 1961, but its composition was not widely known for another decade.

VX agents are among the most toxic substances known. Mere droplets can kill. It can remain on material, equipment and terrain for long periods. Uptake is mainly through the skin but also through inhalation of the substance as a gas or aerosol.

Tabun, invented by a German chemist, Gerhard Schrader, in the mid-1930s, is colourless or brownish as a liquid, and odourless as a vapour. Schrader worked for IG Farben, a company that later used slave labour from the Birkenau concentration camp to produce its products. Another one of Farben’s inventions was Zyklon-B, a type of hydrogen cyanide used by the Nazis to gas victims in those same camps during World War II. Tabun, also an organophosphate like many pesticides, is considered among the easiest of nerve gases to manufacture.

Hydrogen cyanide is a commercially produced "blood agent" used in plastic and organic chemical products in many parts of the world. It is a colourless vapour at normal temperatures with a smell likened to bitter almonds.There is no confirmed information on this substance being used in chemical warfare. However, it has been reported that hydrogen cyanide was used by Iraq in the war against Iran and against the Kurds in northern Iraq during the 1980s. Hydrogen cyanide has high toxicity and in sufficient concentrations rapidly leads to death.

Mustard agents First used toward the end of World War I, mustard agents — among the most commonly produced chemical weapons by those nations that have had them — cause severe eye and lung damage. They are often called "blister agents" since their injuries usually resemble burns or blisters. The United States, Germany, Russia and Iraq are all said to have produced mustard agents during the 20th century. Iraq’s Saddam Hussein is reported to have authorized their use (along with cyanide) against Iranian soldiers and Kurdish civilians in the Iran-Iraq war. They are easy to make, and earned their name not from how they are made but from their smell, a rotten mustard or onion odour.