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CNN Live Saturday

New York Authorities Want to Reevaluate Death of Postal Worker Thought to Have Died of Natural Causes

Aired October 27, 2001 - 17:03   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.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN ANCHOR: As we said earlier, authorities in New York want to reevaluate the death of a postal worker who worked at Manhattan's main processing center.

CNN medical correspondent Rhonda Rowland is here in Washington. Rhonda, this is such an ever-changing investigation.

RHONDA ROWLAND, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is, and developments are happening quite quickly here.

The postal worker -- her name was Laura Jones, worked in the Morgan facility in New York City. She died October 10 and it was determined she died of natural causes. In her mid-50s, Joan has had a history of hypertension. Now with the discovery of anthrax in the facility, officials say her death will be reevaluated as a precaution.

No autopsy was performed at the time of her death, and now medical examiners say if there was a possibility of exposure to anthrax deaths will be reevaluated on a case by case basis.

Meanwhile, the Princeton, New Jersey post office was closed Saturday as a precaution after preliminary tests were found to be positive for anthrax in a mail bin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've had two suspected inhalation cases that were hospitalized in New Jersey pending environmental samples. The first individual has been hospitalized for nine days. She remains hospitalized, in serious, but stable condition. She's -- has no more fever, and she's improving on antibiotics for that nine-day period.

The other individual who is also still a suspected case, has also improved to the extent that she's been discharged home to finish her antibiotic course.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLAND: And here on Capitol Hill, trace amounts of anthrax were found in the offices of three congressmen in the Longworth building. Health officials say the risk of illness is very low, given the low amount of anthrax spores that were found. Washington health officials are also giving a boost of confidence to the antibiotic Doxycycline. They say anyone now who may have been exposed to anthrax including the Supreme Court Justices, will be given Doxycycline rather than Cipro. The CDC has long said the anthrax strain found in Florida, New York and Washington is sensitive to Doxycycline.

More than 10,000 people in Washington alone are now on Cipro and health officials are concerned about the development of drug resistance -- Bob.

FRANKEN: Well, as a matter of fact you bring up something that I find kind of ominous and that is here we have a warning that introduction of such widespread use of antibiotics period can cause a real setback in the constant battle against bacteria. And now they're really doing that. They're just willy-nilly prescribing this stuff.

ROWLAND: Well, it is a big concern Bob, as you said, because there are so many people on antibiotics. But I think what they're trying to do to try to lower that chance of the resistance is to try to get people on different antibiotics. Again, there are 10,000 people on Cipro. They're now trying to get people on another antibiotic, Doxycycline, and again, they're trying to be very careful about who should get the antibiotics. And if they start someone on antibiotics and they found because their environmental testing that it's not necessary, they will tell these individuals to stop taking their antibiotics.

So basically, Bob, everyone should be listening to their doctors and what the health officials are instructing them to do.

FRANKEN: Rhonda Rowland, thank you very much.

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