At-Largely: Anthrax and Tularemia…
Larisa Alexandrovna
One thing that has long bothered me is why no one thought to examine the 2005 Tularemia appearance in DC and the Anthrax attacks of 2001? (or if they have, I have not seen it).
Now, before we begin, this simply a brain dump speculation, theoretical bouncing of ideas. There is NOTHING tangible connecting these two events. So please don’t grab on to this and run wild with ideas that are out there along with aliens and men in black. This is just for discussion purposes, something to consider:
Background - What is Tularemia
Tularemia, a highly infectious zoonotic bacterial disease, was recently identified by the Strategic Planning Workgroup of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of the top-priority agents (”Class A”) most likely to pose a potential risk to national security. Although not as familiar as other, more publicized Class A diseases, such as smallpox and anthrax, tularemia carries similar considerable risk as a public health threat. Common to all Class A agents, tularemia transmits and disperses easily, has the capacity to inflict substantial morbidity and mortality on large numbers of people, and can induce widespread panic and disruption. Actual use as a biological weapon has not been verified, although Japan, the former Soviet Union, and the United States have conducted extensive research on possible ways to develop and deploy Francisella tularensis, the gram-negative coccobacillus that causes tularemia, as a weapon.
Natural outbreaks of tularemia are relatively rare. Documented outbreaks under wartime conditions, however, including an outbreak in 1942 during the Battle of Stalingrad and the recent report of hundreds of cases in Kosovo, indicate the heightened risk associated with susceptible environments, ie, areas in which agriculture, water, and overall sanitation have been severely disrupted. The vulnerability of these environments to the introduction of a disease such as tularemia indicates a public health threat created by wartime conditions beyond the actual weaponization of F tularensis.
What happened in 2005
The Anthrax attacks and the Tularemia appearance in DC appear to have a great deal in common and raise more concern, for me anyway, about the possibility of more domestic terrorism:
A week after six bioterrorism sensors detected the presence of a dangerous bacterium on the Mall, health officials said there are no reports that any of the thousands of people in the nation’s capital Sept. 24 have tularemia, the illness that results from exposure to the bacteria.
Federal health officials are still testing the samples from air sensors on the Mall and in downtown Washington that collected a small amount of the tularemia agent, which can cause flulike symptoms and is usually treated with antibiotics.
The bacteria probably was not the result of nefarious activity, according to federal investigators. “There is no known nexus to terror or criminal behavior. We believe this to be environmental,” said Russ Knocke, spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security.
Here is the problem with the comment by federal investigators. Tularemia is a Class A priority agent according to the CDC and is in fact bio-weapon, the appearance of which is treated as such. To say “the bacteria probably was not the result of nefarious activity” is entirely negligent. In a post-911 world a “probably” is not sure enough for my taste. I want a solid “absolutely not” or something similar.
The statement also ignores some basic issues with the appearance of this agent and the health issues/deaths/illness it can cause, such as:
a). because although it does appear naturally, its appearance in this way (city hotels, not a great deal of rabbits out on the streets) is rare, and cases where it has appeared via unexplained causes - very few - have been the result of nefarious activity (Stalingrad)
b). it has flu-like symptoms, so anyone having been exposed to it would not necessarily seek treatment and t would therefor could act as a sleeper weapon
c). and because those infected do not seek treatment (which would render it non-lethal), people can end up dying
d). the timing of this particular appearance is fascinating (emph mine):
Health officials in the Washington area were notified Friday that the filters on biohazard sensors that make up the BioWatch network detected the bacteria Sept. 24, when tens of thousands of people were on the Mall for antiwar demonstrations and the National Book Festival.
The samples were collected between 10 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday. The naturally-occurring biological agent — which is on the “A list” of the Department of Homeland Security’s biohazards, along with anthrax, plague and smallpox — was detected in small amounts, said Gregg A. Pane of the D.C. Department of Health.
Here are the points of interest that for me suggest that an examination of the Anthrax attack and Tularemia appearance is needed. Note, I call the Tularemia arrival in DC an “appearance” as there is absolutely no proof it was terrorism.
“At present, a “live vaccine strain” (LVS) tularemia vaccine is under investigational new drug (IND) status in a protocol at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Fort Detrick, Maryland, and is available only for at-risk US military personnel. It is administered by scarification (ie, use of a bifurcated needle to produce multiple inoculations in the skin, similar to vaccinia inoculation for smallpox).”
Vaccine Connection
“Among other things, in 1999 Forrest was the co-founder and general manager of a firm called Advanced Biosystems (aka AFG BioSolutions) along with Kenneth Alibek, an anthrax researcher whose name regularly comes up on conspiracy theory sites because, unlike Bruce Ivins, he did stand to benefit financially from the anthrax attacks. As of 2005, AFG had a $1,899,995 bioterrorism consulting contract with the US government
Forrest was also the founder of something called the Higgins Terrorism Research Center, whose president was a professor of the National Center for Biodefense at George Mason University, wehre Alibek was executive director for education.”
An important caveat that I bring up here is that I am only pointing out an overlap connection. I am in NO WAY saying that anyone associated with any company or lab had anything to do with the appearance of Tularemia or the Anthrax attacks. But it is still and interesting connection:
AFG BioSolutions, headquartered in Germantown, Maryland, is committed to discovering therapeutic solutions to combat biological weapons - threats such as smallpox virus which, while largely eradicated decades ago, still poses bioterrorism risks.
“According to Dr. Ken Alibek, AFG’s President and Chief Scientific Officer, and author of Biohazard, “There are highly virulent strains of smallpox that have been designed as bioweapons that could infect 60% to 90% of a targeted population, with a subsequent death rate of 30% to 50% for unvaccinated individuals. And while effective vaccines do exist against known strains, there are insufficient doses available in the United States to deal with an emergency situation in major cities. Furthermore, there would be a delay between identifying a new, engineered strain and creating an effective vaccine. Therefore, AFG is evaluating select anti-viral products with the aim of making biodefense recommendations to the U.S. Government, and in this early study, we targeted rabbitpox because it serves as an excellent preliminary model for the development of therapies for human smallpox.”‘
Timing and Location:
Both the Anthrax attacks of 2001 and the appearance of the Tularemia in 2005 began in mid-late September and both originated in the Northeast.
Target/Targets:
For conversation purposes, let us assume for a moment that the Tularemia appearance was in fact an act of terrorism, who then would be the targets? Well, the timing of its appearance and the arrival of a large group of anti-war protesters suggests that once again, the targets were left leaning, as in the Anthrax attacks.
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If Dr. Ivins, who is alleged to be the Anthrax terrorist (which right now I don’t believe, but am open to changing my mind as more evidence presents itself) or for that matter, any terrorist - domestic or otherwise - launched an attack in 2001, what made them stop?
We know the FBI is looking for a domestic terrorist, not a foreign one with regard to Anthrax. So what would make a domestic terrorist having succeeded the first time around not try their little game again?
As I have said there is no evidence whatsoever to rule the Tularemia appearance in 2005 as an act of terrorism. But, it does raise questions that I have not seen addressed:
1). did the FBI consider that perhaps the domestic terrorist responsible for one may have also been responsible for another?
2). how did they explain the appearance of the Tularemia?
3). Did Ivins have access and/or work with Tularemia?
4). Did any scientist have access to both Anthrax and Tularemia?
5). If yes, were any of these scientists under investigation and if so, how were they finally ruled out?
6). Does anyone know just how common the appearance of Tularemia is in non-rural locations?
7). If the investigators did explain how the Tularemia had appeared in DC hotels, can someone point me to that information, because I cannot seem to find it.
So have at it, share your thoughts, especially if you are an expert in any related field. I, for one, can’t understand how a monster (or a severally mentally ill person or persons) could do something like the Anthrax attacks of 2001 and simply go about their business, never trying to recreate another situation. Maybe once was enough? I honestly don’t know, but we should discuss it.
