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2 more cases confirmed; DC on alert
10/16/2001
WASHINGTON – Two new cases of anthrax – one in a baby, one in a 73-year-old
man – were confirmed Monday as fears of bioterrorism spread to Capitol Hill.
In New York, the baby boy of an ABC News employee tested positive for
anthrax, a government official said. In Florida, a second employee at a
supermarket tabloid has the more-deadly form of inhaled anthrax, officials said.
And in Washington, a letter opened by an aide to Senate Majority Leader Tom
Daschle also tested positive. Authorities said they still have no definitive evidence linking any
anthrax-related incidents the last two weeks in the United States and the world
to Osama bin Laden or other terrorists. New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and police officials were at ABC News offices
Monday evening, officials told The Associated Press, which said the anthrax
diagnosed in the child is the type that is absorbed through cuts or scratches in
the skin, not the more-dangerous inhaled variety. The child visited the ABC newsroom Sept. 28. Public health officials have discovered anthrax in three states and the
District of Columbia in the last two weeks. Tests indicate that at least 13
people either have anthrax or were exposed to anthrax spores. Robert Stevens,
63, photo editor of The Sun tabloid in Florida, died Oct. 5 from inhaled
anthrax. A colleague, Ernesto Blanco, 73, "is improving and the public health
officials are encouraged by his progress," state health officials said Monday in
a prepared statement. Mr. Blanco has been receiving treatment for anthrax since he was hospitalized
this month for what was believed to be pneumonia. At the time, officials said
Mr. Blanco had anthrax bacteria in his nasal passages but had not been diagnosed
with the disease. A letter at Mr. Daschle's office, opened at 10:30 a.m., contained a powdery
substance that prompted aides to notify Capitol Police, said Lt. Dan Nichols, a
police spokesman. Two field tests on the powder came back positive for anthrax,
he said, and 40 staff members were quarantined for several hours before being
sent home. "There was an exposure when the letter was opened," said Lt. Nichols, who
said the FBI had begun a criminal investigation. The letter sent to Mr. Daschle's office is undergoing further testing at an
Army medical research facility at Fort Detrick, Md., he said. The FBI said the
letter was postmarked Sept. 18 from Trenton, N.J., according to The Associated
Press. So far, all of the anthrax appears to have been delivered in letters. Most of
the letters were mailed inside the United States, but one sent to an office in
Reno, Nev., came from Malaysia. Malaysia, bewildered by its sudden involvement in America's anthrax scare,
has pledged to help track down the origin of the anthrax-tainted letter. No anthrax cases have been detected outside the United States, but a spate of
letters containing suspicious substances or threatening inscriptions has kept
authorities busy worldwide. Dozens of government workers in Australia were hosed down Monday after their
office received a letter containing white powder. A U.S. consulate received a
similar scare, and in Germany, officials were investigating a powdery substance
found in the mailroom of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's offices. Scares have occurred in Australia, Canada, France, Lithuania, Portugal,
Switzerland, Czech Republic, and England. In Washington, public tours of the Capitol have been suspended indefinitely,
Lt. Nichols said. Mr. Daschle, D-S.D., was not in his office in the Hart Senate Office
Building, about a block from the Capitol, when the letter was opened. He said he
had notified other leaders of the incident and talked to many of the people
under quarantine by telephone All staff members who were in Mr. Daschle's office underwent nasal swabs and
other tests Monday to detect whether anthrax was present in or on their bodies,
said Dr. John Eisold, a Capitol physician. Test results should be available within the next day or two, Dr. Eisold said.
In the meantime, 40 to 50 people who may have been exposed to the powder are
being treated with Cipro, an antibiotic, though none has exhibited any symptoms
of illness, he said. Anthrax cannot be passed from person to person, he said. "They would not have been sent home if there was any fear about them being a
potential danger to others," Dr. Eisold said. "Everybody is fine, and only time
will tell what may or may not develop." "I am deeply concerned for my staff, and I feel so badly for each of them,"
Mr. Daschle said. "They are innocent people caught up in a matter for which they
have nothing to do. I am very, very disappointed and angered." But the incident will not keep the Senate from its work, he said, vowing that
"this institution will not stop. Our work will continue. We will be in session
tomorrow." Authorities are still trying to determine whether a link exists to
terrorists. "There may be some possible link," President Bush said. "We have no hard data
yet, but it's clear that Mr. bin Laden is a man who's an evil man. ... I
wouldn't put it past him, but we don't have hard evidence yet." Authorities halted mail delivery on Capitol Hill so that all letters and
parcels could be screened for anthrax or other dangerous substances. "Whatever they tell us to do, we're going to do," said Jonathan Grella, a
spokesman for House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, the No. 3 Republican
in the House. He said the mood in the office was "concerned, very concerned."
Rep. Martin Frost, D-Dallas, the No. 3 Democrat in the House, said Congress
would continue its work and would just have to be more careful about mail. "You can't shut down the government," Mr. Frost said. Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, said officials are screening
the White House mail even more than usual. "We're being very cautious about what we open," she said. "The American
people ought to be cautious about what they open. There is absolutely no reason
for panic, but if anyone is suspicious about a package or a letter, then they
should get in touch with officials about it." The Associated Press contributed to this report.