Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

New Anthrax Cases Cause Heightened Concern

Aired October 14, 2001 - 09:03   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: In the U.S., new anthrax cases in Nevada, New York and Florida. They are a heightening concern about exposure to the bacteria. The anthrax scare is our top story. From Florida to New York to Nevada, more of the potentially deadly bacteria is surfacing. We have several reports on these developments.

CNN's John Zarrella is in Boca Raton, Florida and CNN's Jason Carroll is in New York.

And let's start with Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, Marty. Late yesterday, Mayor Rudy Giuliani announced that health officials have identified the source of anthrax that infected that NBC employee, a woman who was identified as Tom Brokaw's assistant. It apparently came from an envelope postmarked September 18 from Trenton, New Jersey. Also, a second NBC employee who handled that envelope has symptoms that may indicate possible exposure. And I want to emphasize "possible exposure" to anthrax.

Initially, the investigation had focused on a letter postmarked on September 25. That letter also addressed to Brokaw as well as a letter addressed to the "New York Times." So far, tests on those letters have turned up negative. Brokaw's assistant has a cutaneous form of anthrax. It's a skin infection. It is usually treatable with antibiotics.

In addition to giving out information, Mayor Rudy Giuliani has also spent much of his time trying to calm the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI (R), MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: Don't go to emergency rooms. I'm saying it to them so that they have some confidence and calm down with the notion that there's some kind of spread of some kind of disease going on. That is not going on. Right now, we have, you know, one case that has been dealt with. And then there were the people at NBC have to all be tested. And some of them are on Cipro already. There could be situations there but beyond that, there is no indication of any kind spread of anthrax.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: The mayor mentioned Cipro when he was speaking there. That is an antibiotic that is used to treat the affects of anthrax. Health officials have set up a clinic here at NBC to treat and test some of the employees here at NBC. We're told that about 350 employees have been treated so far.

In fact, this morning, CNN spoke to one of those employees and we had asked them what happens when you come in for the test. Marty, he told us that the doctors took swabs from his nostrils. He also said that he was put on an antibiotic only as a precaution -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Jason, when I was in New York on Friday, everyone and literally everyone on the street was talking about this.

CARROLL: Yes.

SAVIDGE: That city already has been on edge. I mean what are the feelings today? Are people really feeling stressed beyond a point of comprehension?

CARROLL: Honestly, you know, you really get both perspectives. Definitely, people are concerned about what is happening. You hear that when you're out in the street. But also, when you go out in the street at night, the bars are full, the restaurants are full. People are going out. People are trying to get on with their lives. But you can imagine that when you're in those bars and in those restaurants, what the topic of conversation is -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Well, indeed, yes. Jason Carroll, thank you very much from New York -- Donna.

KELLEY: And there has been one anthrax death and it happened in Boca Raton, Florida. CNN's John Zarrella joins us from there -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donna, well, of course, the latest news out of South Florida that broke actually late yesterday afternoon and it reported widely in the morning newspapers is that blood tests of the 300 employees of American Media have revealed that five more people have been exposed to anthrax.

Now, that word came from company officials with AMI and from employees who actually gave out that statement. It has not been corroborated or substantiated by the Centers for Disease Control or by the FBI. They are all saying it is way too soon to tell. Apparently, what transpired was that antibodies showed up in those blood tests.

But federal health officials say the antibodies, which are germ fighters don't necessarily mean 100 percent definitive that you've been exposed to anthrax. They're going to be running more blood tests to get definitive results on the employees.

As you may recall, after it became widely suspected that anthrax exposure had taken place in the building behind me, 1,000 people, 300 employees and 700 other people who had visited the building or the 300 that worked there, from August 1 until the building was shut down by federal officials, were all given nasal swabs. In addition to the nasal swabs, the 300 employees were given these blood tests to further validate whether they may or may not have been exposed to anthrax. So at this point, what we do know is that the one individual, Bob Stevens, died from anthrax. Two other individuals who worked in the mailroom here were exposed to anthrax and now, there is the possibility that an additional five people may have been exposed to anthrax. But federal officials say one thing to remember, none of those people is reportedly sick.

This is John Zarrella reporting live from Boca Raton, Florida.

KELLEY: All right, John, thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com