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CNN Live At Daybreak
Anthrax in America: Contamination Spreads Across Capitol Hill, Nation's Post Offices
Aired October 29, 2001 - 11:01 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: With the latest on the anthrax issue and a new antibiotic to treat the illness, CNN's medical correspondent Rhonda Rowland, in Washington, updating us now.
Rhonda, good morning.
RHONDA ROWLAND, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
Over the weekend, Washington health officials announced that, instead of Cipro, they would now be giving the antibiotic doxycycline to anyone who needs preventative antibiotics.
It appears that this an example of health experts learning as they go, or making adjustments. There's actually been confusion over whether the switch is an official CDC recommendation. CDC sources now admit that Saturday night, a health alert went out that was confusing. The real CDC recommendation on this issue is that either antibiotic can be safely used, that is either Cipro or doxycycline.
Still, health experts say there's many reason to use doxycycline.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: This Cipro frenzy, as it was, of everything has to be Cipro or else we have a big problem, is now not really a reality. There are other drugs that you could equally well use against anthrax, either postexposure, to prevent against getting sick, or when you do have a problem. So clearly, at least with the postexposure, people are thinking in terms of doxycycline, which is a generic drug that has not very much toxicities -- although all drugs do have toxicities -- and it's considerably less expensive than Cipro is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLAND: Doxycycline is plentiful. The government stockpile is already stocked up with doxycycline. so there's plenty to go around. We need to remember from day one, when the anthrax attacks first began in Florida, CDC officials have said that this particular strain of anthrax is indeed sensitive to a range of antibiotics -- Bill.
HEMMER: Rhonda, Rhonda Rowland, the update from Washington -- thanks to you.
The anthrax scare, though, is forcing the Supreme Court to convene elsewhere today. Justices hearing arguments at the U.S. District Court, several blocks away in Washington, while they await test results from inside the Supreme Court Building. Traces of the bacteria were found last week at an off-site warehouse and mail handling facility. This is the first time justices have met outside the Supreme Court since that building opened, back in 1935. That was indeed history there today.
Fears of anthrax infection widen as another postal worker diagnosed with inhaled anthrax, the rare and most fatal form of the disease. That woman works in Hamilton Township, which tested positive for the bacteria.
Mike Okwu now is in New Jersey, live, with us.
Michael, good morning.
MIKE OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, good morning to you.
You will recall that last week, health officials announced that they may have two cases of inhalation anthrax here. Clearly, the lab results have came back and conclusively determined that, in fact, one of the cases, one of the women, does have inhalation anthrax. We are told that she is in stable condition and resting comfortably in the hospital.
In the meantime, the second potential case of inhalation anthrax, the second victim, has been discharged from the hospital, and we are told that she continues to respond well to antibiotics.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, we have found out that anthrax was discovered at the Princeton Post Office in West Windsor, New Jersey, some 15 minutes' drive from here. Postal employees are deeply concerned that there's a fair amount of cross-contamination going on. New Jersey Congressman Chris smith is urging the postmaster general to shutdown all central New Jersey postal facilities so that they can be tested and, if need be, decontamination can begin.
Health officials are setting up a clinic at the Robert Wood Medical Center, in case employees have medical questions, although they point out the fact that there is no indication at this point that any of the postal workers at the Princeton, New Jersey, office were exposed to anthrax.
We also understand that a seminar -- which will look like very much like a town meeting, because they expect something like 400 to 500 residents in the Trenton area to attend -- is taking place right now. It has, essentially, been assembled for businesses in the area, so that if people have any questions about how to handle their letters, that experts there can tell them what to do. We know that there will be doctors there attending, we know that members of the county emergency management team will be there, as well as a prosecutor, who will answer any questions they may have about hoaxes, because they also believe that there are fair amount of hoaxes now, people coming from the woodwork to take advantage of the situation.
In the meantime, officials are telling employees who have been taking antibiotics to stop taking Cipro after 10 days and to begin a regimen of doxycycline, because doxycycline has fewer side effects.
Bill, back to you.
HEMMER: Michael, I can imagine there will be countless questions at that meeting that you just talked about.
Michael Okwu, live in Hamilton Township, New Jersey.
Several buildings on the adjacent U.S. Capitol grounds remain closed again today, three weeks after anthrax was first discovered there.
Our congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl is bringing us up to date on the status of those sites and the folks who work in and around them.
Jonathan, good morning.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
The two major areas up here are the two of the main congressional office building, of course the hart building, on the Senate side, where Sen. Daschle's office is, and over on the House side, the Longworth House Office Building. It was in the Longworth House Office Building where three members of Congress, three representatives, found out over the weekend that their offices showed positive signs for traces of anthrax. It was described as low-level contamination; nevertheless, people who work in the offices of the three junior members of Congress have been given antibiotics and are being tested themselves for anthrax exposure.
One of those three is Mike Pence. He is a Republican from Indiana. One thing he said is that after he learned of the anthrax in office, he felt it vindicated the decision of the House leaders to shut down the House of Representatives after that letter was found in Daschle's office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: My one emotion is this morning not one of being upset at anyone; it's one of profound gratitude to the speaker of the House and, to no lesser extent, to Leader Dick Gephardt for being willing to put my family and my staff and the citizens who visit the office's safety ahead of their concerns about public relations and image.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARL: On the Senate side of the Capitol Building, there's still a major disruption in terms of how this anthrax scare is affecting the workings of the Senate. That's because the Hart Office Building -- which, by the way, holds the offices for 50 U.S. senators -- remains closed as officials try to figure out the best way to decontaminate the building.
Christie Todd Whitman, the head of Environmental Protection Agency, will be up here on Capitol Hill today to brief senators and senior members of the senior staff on the various options for decontaminating. None of these options are easy, and all of them are time consuming, raising the possibility that the Hart Office Building could be closed for some time.
Bill, as you can imagine, it's a major factor. That means you have 50 United States senators who are essentially nomads. They've got makeshift offices, but no place for their staff. That's something that is, obviously, of great concern up here in the U.S. Senate.
HEMMER: Lockdown, indeed. You are exactly right there.
Jonathan Karl, from Capitol Hill, thanks.
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