January 30, 2004—The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has added two pages to its Web site concerning diseases that are among the most likely to be caused by the use of biological weapons, as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Web sites identify applicable OSHA standards, whether these diseases are a significant bioterrorist threat, how the medical community would respond to a VHF or tularemia outbreak, and how the diseases can be controlled and prevented.
Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHF) are a group of diseases caused by ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses from four distinct families. These diseases include Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever, Lassa fever, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, and Yellow Fever. Symptoms vary with the disease, but often include fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. Severe cases can include shock and coma. Although some types of VHFs are relatively mild illnesses, many of them can cause severe, life-threatening disease with high fatality rates.
Tularemia is extremely infectious disease normally occurring in rural areas, associated with the bites of infected ticks, mosquitoes, and biting flies or with the handling of infected rodents, rabbits, or hares. Approximately 200 cases of tularemia in humans are reported annually in the United States, mostly in persons living in the south-central and western states. Less commonly, tularemia can be contracted through ingestion of contaminated food or water or by inhalation. Release of the bacteria in an aerosolized form is the most likely method to be used in bioterrorism.
