Anthrax in Mosul?

[Windy]

Six die as suspicions of anthrax mount in northern city



Mosul, Iraq Press, May 11, 2004 –Six people have died and many other are taken ill due to a disease whose symptoms doctors say resemble those caused by anthrax, according to hospital sources.



The sources, refusing to be named, said doctors in the Republican Hospital, the largest medical center in northern Iraq, suspect that the victims were exposed to anthrax.



They said a whole wing of the sprawling hospital has been cordoned off as doctors fear the disease might spread to other patients.



The sources said the doctors suspect that a patient brought to hospital two weeks ago was the cause of the disease.



Anthrax spreads quickly and the six patients were said to have caught the disease as they were being treated for other ailments in the hospital.



The patient who the doctors believe brought the anthrax was a shepherd and had already died, the sources said.



The hospital lacks means to battle the deadly disease.



But the medical staff and support personnel have already been inoculated against anthrax, they said.



There is much confusion in the hospital, the sources said.



Hospital officials have declined comment and would not go into details when asked about the causes of the latest deaths.



Iraq had confirmed that it made anthrax in the 1980s along with other germ warfare agents.



The former regime produced weapons-grade dry anthrax powder which it claimed to have unilaterally destroyed.



UN weapons inspectors failed to get conclusive evidence that Iraq had scrapped its biological warfare program on its own.



US-led weapons experts have so far failed to uncover any germ warfare agents.


http://www.iraqpress.org/english.asp?fname=ipenglish/2004-05-11/2.htm

[burythehatchet]

1. oh god no - he wouldn't go that far

[LittleApple81]

13. Unfortunately, the Iraqis and all Moslems will blame the USA.

Including the Kurds, I bet. Everybody has become so suspicious of the misadministration, they are going to have a hard time convincing anybody about anything.

[rooboy]

2. Probably a naturally occurring case in the guy's flock of sheep. n/t

[Windy]

3. actually, it could be... that's where it comes from medically speaking n/t

[mike_c]

4. well, they couldn't have just found it hidden out in the desert...

...somewhere-- I presume that an independent analysis would be able to tell whether weaponized spores were old or recently produced. And NO one would believe anything without independent confirmation. This way would certainly be easier-- bring in just a little, start an epidemic, maybe even find some "evidence" linking some of the early victims to a "suspected weapons lab."

on edit-- I mean old spores as in lying out in the elements or buried in an ambient condition bunker since 1980 as opposed to spores-- even from 24 year old strains-- recently pulled out of liquid N₂ storage. It would make a whole lot more sense passing through a host or two first, then making the epidemiologists isolate, culture, and ID them. No messy evidence to fake and plant. Just a bunch of dead Iraqis.

[Doosh]

5. FOX and Drudge are on it, time to prop up Bush

you'll hear it tomorrow "WMD found in Iraq?"

[NNN0LHI]

6. You can't catch Anthrax poisoning from someone who has it

Is this one of the US run papers? Oops, my bad. They are all US run newspapers in Iraq now.

Don

[Windy]

8. Actually, I don't think so.

I saw some other articles onthe site that are critical and controversial. I just posted another one in breaking news.

[mike_c]

11. yeah, but IF the report is correct that the disease spread...

...within the hospital then the original victim might have been used to spread spores physically.

edit: this reply was meant for #6

[NNN0LHI]

14. There was no Iraqpress in Iraq before the US invaded. It is US run

http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:poteeoUPupIJ:www.iraqpolicy.org.uk/media.html+iraqpress&hl=en

Iraq Press www.iraqpress.org
Iraqi news agency, provides material in Arabic and English. Before the war of 2003, the site was run from outside Iraq, and provided news with an opposition slant.

[Pale_Rider]

7. Wonder if its the Ames variety?

http://www.anthraxinvestigation.com/wp1124.html

[FreakinDJ]

9. and it is not even time for the October surprise yet

[DUreader]

10. Wasn't Berg In Mosul?

[mike_c]

12. it was only a matter of time....

:tinfoilhat:

[FreakinDJ]

15. Yes

[abracadabra]

16. This is a test--seeing how we can have our next 911 in Los Angeles

I have a feeling they are testing our the Anthrax toy for new plans to get us here before the elections.
Who's "they"???
well it ain't Saddam Hussein--and it ain't A Q--


our dear old freedumb loving leaders are up to something--