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Survey seeks to solve Sept 11 health mysteries Daniel Trotta / Reuters | June 2nd 2006 Health officials launched a broad medical survey on Thursday of 71,000 people affected by the September 11 attacks in what doctors called their best hope of treating mysterious ailments stemming from that day. The survey of firefighters, police, downtown Manhattan residents and office workers will determine future federal health policy and funding for those affected, U.S. and New York City officials said in announcing the survey. Many emergency responders and downtown residents still suffer from what has been dubbed "World Trade Center cough," and a medical examiner has linked the recent death of a police detective to the attacks. More than 71,000 people signed up for an initial survey in 2003 and 2004. The new survey is the first of several follow-ups planned for the 20-year life of the federally funded program. People were exposed to smoke, dust, fumes and debris that were unique to the hijacked jetliner attacks on New York's World Trade Center. "Today, we wish we had all of the answers. ... We don't know how long those symptoms are going to exist and what the best way to treat them and improve them is," New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden told a news conference, adding that high participation in the survey would be one of the best ways to get that information. Eight percent of those from the first survey showed serious psychological distress, health officials said, compared with 5 percent in New York City as a whole and 14 percent for people who were in buildings that collapsed or were destroyed. Two-thirds of the volunteers for the survey are from New York City but, they come from all 50 states and more than a dozen countries, officials said. Preliminary results are expected by the end of 2006. ---------------------------------------------------
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