To: Members of the Vaccine and Health Care Networks 
From: Dr. Len Horowitz Subject: No Ebola Only Meningiococcal Disease in Dominican Republic

Please find attached communications from a Dominican Republic tourism official and a physician on site observer in response to my May 6, 1996 communication entitled, "Ebola-like Outbreak in Dominican Republic?".

Initial reports of an Ebola-like outbreak were false. The outbreak was that of a highly virulent meningiococcal disease. This illness mimicks Ebola, however, with subcutaneous bleeding and high mortality rates. Therefore, it is easy to understand how and why Julia Yepez (718-462-0784) and local citizens feared they were under Ebola attack and were concerned.

The attached e-mails do not confirm Julia's report of CDC activity in the area as she reported to me. Nor do the messages discuss farm animal fatalities as she was apparently informed.

I appreciate the attached responses, both official and independent, as an effort to shed light on this matter of international affair. I relay this information to you, as requested, once again, in an effort to pass important health information along. So please pass this message on to others in your network.

I have relayed my sincere condolence for any economic loss sustained by the Dominican Republic that attention to this matter has brought.

Given the times we live in, however, anticipating increasing worldwide outbreaks of infectious diseases, including those from biological weapons, individual and network vigilance is prudent.

In this regard, what still concerns me is the fact that meningitis and meningiococcal organisms were obviously studied and modified extensively by biological weapons contractors at Litton Bionetics as shown in the U.S. Government contract summary report reprinted on page 453 of the book "Emerging Viruses: AIDS & EbolaśNature, Accident, or Intentional?" (Tetrahedron, LLC, 1996) by this author. Likewise, recent attention to E. coli strain 157 is suspicious in light of the fact that CIA microbiologists commonly mutated and tested this intestinal pathogen, and many others, during their top secret 1950s and 1960s project MK:NAOMI. Military and civilian populations were often infected without informed consent. Additionally, Black and Hispanic people in Third World countries were commonly used as test subjects for these unconscionable experiments.

When one considers the meningiococcal microorganism recently found in the Dominican Republic, striking parallels to this loathsome history exist. This germ and its related illness was first observed in 1963 according to medical texts. Perhaps not coincidentally the majority of outbreaks of this bizarre and severe mengiococcal disease was found among military populations during the 1960s and early 1970s. This was the period when major advances in biotechnology on behalf of the CIA and military were made with this and other microorganisms including immune-system-ravaging agents for germ warfare. These included bioweapons functionally similar, if not identical, to HIV (the AIDS virus) and the dreaded Ebola.

Yours in the spirit of health,
Len Horowitz, D.M.D., M.A., M.P.H.

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Subject: Re: Meningiococcal Outbreak

Press director note secretary of tourism.

From:sectur@codetel.net.do(Rodolfo Espinal)
To: News, travel and Health Networks
Subject: (supposed) Ebola Outbreak Cover-up
Date: Saturday, May 10, 1997

Outrageous and ill-intended, are just two of the expressions that come to our mind after reading the fantasy networked May 6, by an alleged "Dr. Len Horowitz (tetra@tetrahedon.org)" on an invented "New Ebola-like Outbreak in the Dominican Republic."

"Dr." Horowitz' fantasies have no grounds whatsoever and are only destined to get attention to himself and his supposed book "Emerging Viruses", or intentionally harm the image of a tourist destination like the Dominican Republic.

First: He does not quote the names of the supposed Dominican citizens who supposedly "reported to him by phone". I wish I too had his phone number to !@#$%^&*().

Second: Would the international news community fail to report the death of apparent victims of biological weapons and the alleged gloomy scenery described by "Dr." Horowitz? It's an insult to CNN.

Third: Of course there was no trace of this fantasy on the Internet, until "Dr." Horowitz invented it.

Fourth: From which sick part of his mind did "Dr." Horowitz invent the fact that U.S. government vehicles and terrorists were carrying out a biological weapon attack in the Dominican Republic?

This is a very ill intended and insane invention of the mind of whomever may be hiding behind the name of Dr. Horowitz. Whoever it is, he or she may be sure that the people and government of the Dominican Republic do not appreciate what he has done, and if traced back to the probably fake I.D. he quoted, he would be liable to be sued for criminal offense against a friendly nation of the United States.

May your conscience, "Dr. Horowitz" bear the damage intended against a struggling under-developed country which has its economy based on its public image to generate tourism. We pity you and your sick mind!

Rodolfo Espinal, P.R. Director at Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic.

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Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 01:42:54 -0500
From: Jeff Harlan
Reply-To: jjharlan@artsci.wustl.edu
Organization: Morning Dew Farms!
To: sectur@codetel.net.do
CC: tetra@tetrahedron.org, jjharlan@artsci.wustl.edu
Subject: Response regarding your country's conspiracy

Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz 20 Drumlin Road Rockport, MA 01966 (800) 336-9266

Dear Mr. Simo,

I am the source of the internet report regarding an "Ebola-like" outbreak in your country. This was based on a personal account from a source inside your country.

I was appalled that no news was forthcoming when people were obviously dying from a mysterious illness which killed quickly and made people hemorrhage. It sounded like Ebola and that is why there was a question mark after the heading.

So I am now in receipt of your false threat of litigation which would never stand up in court because the release was in the public's own interest. In addition, the release I wrote has been verified by nationally syndicated talk show host Art Bell and by an Associated Press report, the only difference being that the alleged outbreak was not Ebola, but rather meningioccal in nature.

I am sorry that these reports have caused you or your country's officials financial concern, but I would advise you to chalk it up as an expensive lesson. The next time you have a mysterious outbreak you would be wise to INFORM THE PUBLIC about it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and not wait for over a week to inform people AT RISK, not to mention the people who love for them.

More advice - drop this national embarrassment or my international network of concerned citizens will counter your idle threats with more email you'll find additionally displeasing.

Yours in the spirit of health & truth,
Len Horowitz

Date: Fri, 16 May 97 10:39:26 -0500
From: "Dr. Pedro Luis
Castellanos" To: , , ,
Cc: , , , <*hq:hcp/hct_at_paho/hq@cclink.paho.org@uu7.psi.com>, ,
Subject: Ebola like virus?

Mr. Len Horowitz,

I have received a copy of your internet message (may 15, 1997) on a supposed outbreack produced for an Ebola like virus in Dominican Republic, and a supposed intervention of CDC (USA) officials. We have inform to national authorities of health about this rumour and we have joined to them for search any related information on this matter.

I would like to inform you that according to national authorities of health, National Society of Pediatricians, National Society of Neurologist, Dominican Medical Association, and National Epidemiologycal Surveillance System, no outbreack or case compatible to the clinical and epidemiological profile that you have depicted in your internet message, has been reported in Dominican Republic.

There is no evidence of any biological weapons or terrorist attack in any way.

They have also report that no CDC officials have participate in any action as you described. No limitations of traffic of persons or vehicles has been stablished in any place of the country for national and international travelers.

Considering that this kind of rumours could be very dangerous for the tourism in caribbean region, and they could alarm the populations in differents countries, we would like to ask you to reproduce and distribute this message to the same networks that you delivered the initial message.

We would also like to suggest you to try to obtain a confirmation of this kind of alarmist rumours before spreading them.

For any aditional informations you could consider to reach the National Department of Epidemiology of Dominican Republic by: SESPAS1@codetel.net.do

You could also contact to us by:CASTELLP@cclink.paho.org

Sincerely,
Dr. Pedro L. Castellanos
Epidemiologist.
PanAmerican Health Organization World Health Organization.

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ATTACHMENT #3 (This is from a physician I've been corresponding with whose English is less that perfect)

I am a physician, born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic; graduated at Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo and trained in Internal Medicine at The University of Maryland Affiliated Hospitals with a subspecialty training on Medical; Oncology at Harbor UCLA Medical Center. By accident, I was visiting my mother in SPM (which Mr. Bell report as one of the cities affected by the epidemic) from May 1 to May 5 and have first hand, on the field, information of the meningoccocemia in D.R. It is true that several people have been affected of the disease, but this has been handled in the same way that any other country of the world including USA. Rifampin 600 mg. PO Q12H for 4 doses has been given as chemoprophylasis to all the close contacts of the patients; and the Health authorities has recommend to treat immediately with high doses PCN any pts. with Sx. of the disease. During our visit to D.R., as well by phone after we return, we had discuss the so call epidemic with several close friends in and out of the medical field, visit SPM, Sabana Grande de Boya, Villa Mella, San Cristobal, and NO ONE, again NO ONE INCLUDING MYSELF, has seen all the ScienceFiccion scenes describe by Mr. Bell and Dr Horowitz.

Angel.