Opening the attached Word document is what does the harm. If you see a message with the contents described above, DO NOT open the attachment. Please delete the entire message immediately. If you should happen to be running Word and Outlook and get the infected message, and you open the DOC file, you'll immediately and invisibly send the current open word document to the first 50 people in your Outlook address book. You may also want to inform the sender of the message, since they will have been infected and may not know it.
Avoidance is always easier than eradication.
Your continued diligence is our most powerful tool in avoiding these types of problems.