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American Morning

Anthrax Scare: Reporters Answer Viewer E-Mail

Aired October 15, 2001 - 11:43   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to, as promised, get to our e- mail questions our viewers have sent in on the topic of anthrax throughout the morning. We bring in three of our correspondence covering the story: Jason Carroll, once again, in New York; here in Atlanta, Dr. Sanjay Gupta; and Rhonda Rowland, outside the CDC headquarters.

Good morning to all three. Good to have you with us once again. First one to you, Rhonda -- ladies first, I guess -- from Jennifer Lowry, in Owensboro, Kentucky. She writes and questions with this: "I'd like to know where these foreign and domestic terrorists get anthrax from. It is not like a person can go to the store and buy it" -- Rhonda.

RHONDA ROWLAND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, you cannot go to the store and buy it, and who knows where the individuals responsible got the anthrax from. But what I can tell you is that there is anthrax in scientific laboratories around the country that is used for research purposes. Anyone who is using it in a laboratory has to go through the CDC -- that is, they have to prove to the CDC they have safe lab conditions, that they have experts there who know how to deal with it. So that's been on file at least since 1996.

But once the anthrax gets into these laboratories, they are on an honor system. No one is going back into those laboratories to see what is going on with it.

Aside from that, remember that anthrax occurs naturally in nature, that this can from infected hides, from infected animals or from goat hairs. So it does exist in nature. So theoretically, anybody with a microbiology background could make use or know what to do with this kind of a substance.

HEMMER: Great question from Jennifer. One we all want to know.

Back on line.

Steve writes to us and has a question: "On the difference between skin infections and inhaled infections of anthrax" -- the inhaled infection coming in Florida, the first case we knew of -- "are these caused by difference variations of the bacteria, or does the same variety of anthrax cause both, depending on the mechanism of infection."

Sanjay sort that out for us.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is the same bacteria, exactly right. Anthrax is anthrax. The real difference is in how you acquire it. As we have been hearing about in New York, certainly some of the anthrax got on the hands. That's the cutaneous version, the skin version. It's easy to treat, not very lethal. In Florida, we saw the inhaled version. But let me point out that in New York, if the person had actually inhaled the spores, as opposed to just touching them, that cutaneous version could very well have turned into the inhaled version. The cutaneous version is easier to treat. You almost always recover. The inhaled version is much more difficult.

HEMMER: We are all learning as we go along here.

Back on line. Pat is writing to us and wants to know the following: "What do you think of the possibility that the anthrax scare could be coming from domestic groups not related to terrorists?"

Jason, in New York, why don't you jump on this? At this point, they have not ruled out anything or ruled in anything either.

JASON CARROLL, CNN ANCHOR: Exactly right, Bill. The only thing I can say to that -- that's a very difficult question -- the federal authorities are going to be treating this case. If it turns out it is domestic or a wider sort of a plot, whoever is responsible for this will be treated in the same way; it really doesn't matter if it comes from a domestic source or from a source from overseas -- Bill.

HEMMER: Back on line.

Shandra Koger is writing, and Shandra wants to know, "How long does anthrax stay in the body after exposure until the symptoms show, and is there a vaccine?" -- Sanjay.

GUPTA: The amount of time between the exposure and actual infection can vary. It's important to point out that it can be up to 60 days. The reason for that is these spores are very tough, and it may be up to two months, 60 days, before they germinate or release their toxins and wreck havoc over the body, as we've been hearing so much about. Usually, it is between two and seven days after an exposure.

It's important to point that out, because certainly, in the cases in New York and Florida, we are beyond that point now. Most of the people, statistically, that would have had symptoms should have had them by now.

HEMMER: The question about the mail system across the country. Sandy Dent is writing in, and she wants to know, "What will be the future of the U.S. Postal Service now that it's been shown the ease with which mail can be contaminated with biological and chemical substances?"

Jason, up in New York, right next to our viewer, there is a substantial U.S. Post Office. What have they said, if anything, at this point?

CARROLL: As you know, the Postmaster General had said that they received some 15 billion pieces of mail since the terrorist attack, and they've only received a handful of suspicious items. But he also did point out that one is way too many. So that leaves me to believe that the Postal Service is just going to be extra cautious. That's all they can do; the mail still has to go out. So all they can do is be extra cautious in the mail they are looking at and how they handle it and how it is sent out.

HEMMER: We must be careful as well.

Back on line, a similar question from Ray. Ray wants to know can a person get infected with anthrax from a letter or package if the letter or package has not been opened?"

Rhonda, is that possible?

ROWLAND: That's a very good question. I don't know if we know the answer to that. But what you can keep in mind is that anthrax, you cannot see, taste, or smell it; it is microscopic. It seems that all of the exposure so far -- we talk about New York, Florida, Nevada -- it all has to do with something in the mail, something in the mail room. So we are not totally sure.

One thing, though, if there is anthrax on an envelope, likely there are not that many spores, at least not that many spores to do a lot of damage.

But once again, because there is so much uncertainty here, if anyone comes across any piece of mail, package that is suspicious, you need to just cover it, walk away, wash your hands with soap and water. If you wash your hands with soap and water, you decontaminate and eliminate your risk -- Bill.

HEMMER: Simple enough.

Rhonda, Jason, and Sanjay, many thanks for sharing your thoughts today.

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