Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Target: Terrorism: Anthrax Case in Florida

Aired October 05, 2001 - 14:45   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.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, back in this country, we've been telling you of course about the instance, the case of anthrax in the state of Florida. We know that federal health officials from the Centers for Disease Control are now investigating that, but at this point, they say, this case has no links to any threat of bioterrorism. We know he was 63-year-old man who came down with this rare and usually deadly disease. He is also considered to be a potential agent for use in biological warfare.

CNN's John Zarrella now at JFK Memorial Hospital in Atlantis, Florida, where the man is being treated -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Judy, he remains in very critical, in fact some doctors have told us, grave condition, having lived since Tuesday. After coming down with the symptoms on late Monday into Tuesday this long, they say he is actually outlived what would be expected, 24 to 48 hours, but that by no means he is getting any better. It's just the state of medical treatment these days that perhaps is keeping him alive longer.

Now federal investigators, state investigators, are here in Florida. They're trying to find source of what they believe is anthrax that is naturally occurring, and they are starting to look in his own backyard.

Today, about half a dozen investigators, we are told by local authorities, some of them members of the FBI, some of them members of the Centers for Disease Control, converged on Bob Stevens's home and began to go through his house, and particularly looking in his backyard, we believe, because he has said to have been an avid gardener, and there is also reason to believe that naturally occurring anthrax can be found in the soil. It has been in past in the United States.

Just a little while ago, those same investigators, after about two hours in his house, and we believe in his backyard, emerged, carrying what would be considered, evidence bags. They brought those evidence bags out, and we assume taking them to laboratories for analysis.

That is the latest information on what is happening here with the investigation. Similar investigation with similar investigators is beginning in North Carolina, which is where Mr. Stevens was for about three or four days, but investigators do believe that between the time left Florida went to North Carolina and came back here, it was before he went to North Carolina, that he contracted this somewhere here in Florida, but they are not taking any chances, and they are also looking at possibilities in the areas in North Carolina that he was at for about two or three days -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: All right, John Zarrella reporting from Florida, and we are learning so much more than most of is ever knew about anthrax, just in the last day or so, because of this case.

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