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CNN Live At Daybreak

Anthrax Scare: More Possible Anthrax Exposures in New York, Boston and Reno

Aired October 15, 2001 - 07:01   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's look, though, now at the growing list of anthrax cases. There is one infection each in New York and Florida. There are anthrax exposures in New York and Florida and there are possible exposures in New York, Boston and Reno, Nevada.

Our own Jason Carroll is at Rockefeller Center in New York this morning. That's where an employee of NBC News was infected with anthrax -- good morning, Jason. What's the latest from there?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Paula.

I can tell you that yesterday Mayor Rudy Giuliani announced that three people who were investigating the anthrax scare here at NBC were exposed to anthrax spores. A New York City police officer and two lab technicians who were investigating the very suspicious letter here at NBC, we are told, were exposed to a very small number of spores. But that does not mean that they were infected with the disease.

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DR. STEVEN OSTROFF, CDC: And the presence of spores either on somebody's face or in the nasal passages does not necessarily imply that they were exposed to a sufficient number of spores or that that will ever then lead to any type of disease. And as long as you give these individuals antibiotics to keep them from getting the disease, there is essentially zero likelihood that they will develop disease in the future.

MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI (R), NEW YORK CITY: A balance has to be struck here between sufficient precautions and making people so frightened and so upset that they're not going to be able to conduct their lives, which means having people walking around in space suits all over the City of New York.

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CARROLL: And right now you are looking at a live picture coming to us from Hamilton, New Jersey. This is a significant part of the story as well. The three that I had mentioned were investigating a letter that was postmarked September 18. It was actually postmarked from Trenton, New Jersey, which is nearby Hamilton. The letter was processed at that mail center that you see there in Hamilton. Just to recap a little bit, the letter was addressed to NBC anchor Tom Brokaw. His assistant is the only one who has a confirmed case of anthrax here at NBC. It's a cutaneous form of the disease. It is a skin infection. A second employee is also showing similar symptoms. All are being treated with antibiotics and all are doing well -- Paula.

ZAHN: Thanks so much, Jason. We'll be checking in with you throughout the morning.

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