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American Morning

Anthrax Scare: Doctors Say Infected Child of ABC Employee Will Recover

Aired October 16, 2001 - 09:04   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: We have a team of reporters covering this morning's anthrax developments.

CNN's Jason Carroll is outside ABC headquarters in New York, with details on the little boy's condition.

Congressional correspondent Kate Snow will have more on the contaminated letter sent to Sen. Daschle.

And CNN's Maria Hinojosa is in New Jersey, where the tainted letters to Sen. Daschle and NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw were postmarked.

We begin in New York with Jason Carroll.

Good morning, again, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula.

I can tell you that that 7-month-old baby boy is in good condition. He is expected to make a full recovery, and he is responding well to antibiotics. The baby is the son of an ABC news producer. And we are told that he does have a skin form of anthrax; that is a form of anthrax that is easily treatable with antibiotics.

The way that we are hearing this is that authorities say the baby may have contracted the disease while he was here at ABC on a visit on September 28. Apparently, he was here for a birthday party. Shortly after the visit to ABC, the baby became sick. His parents looked at his arm and thought that he had a spider bite. They took him to the hospital. Doctors were trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with him. Finally, the CDC did a test; that test had confirmed that he did in fact have a form of anthrax.

Given what has happened here at ABC and at NBC, where an employee contracted the disease after opening a letter addressed to Tom Brokaw, health officials have been doing environmental checks of several news organization: ABC, as you might expect, and also our own offices at CNN, CBS, "The Associated Press." This is being done only as a precautionary measure.

Earlier this morning, we did have an opportunity to talk to few ABC employees, who tell us that despite everything that's happened, they feel safe going to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not concerned, they are taking care of it. I'm not going to panic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not afraid to come back to work. I don't necessarily believe it is a terrorist act. I think it is very possible it is domestic weirdo who has seen an opportunity to have some fun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really don't have any concerns. We all do our job, and it is an isolated case. And hopefully, we'll find out today more about it, and we've just got to be alert, that's all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Again, that baby boy is doing well. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Investigators, at this point, are trying to figure out exactly where the source of the anthrax was here at ABC -- Paula.

ZAHN: That's the $64 million question this morning.

CARROLL: Absolutely.

ZAHN: Jason, thanks so much.

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