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American Morning

Anthrax Investigation: No Indication Anyone at White House Exposed to Anthrax; Are Antibiotics Enough?

Aired October 24, 2001 - 09:21   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: Officials say there is no indication anyone at the White House has been exposed to anthrax. There was some concern yesterday, when it was disclosed that anthrax spores had been found at an offsite facility that handles mail for the White House.

An update now from White House correspondent Major Garrett.

Good morning, Major, again.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

You know, president bush told reporters yesterday that he feels confident coming here to work today. Now that is even a news item or something the president would feel was necessary to say sort of suggests where we are, as the president has told the country there are two fronts to this war on terrorism, and clearly, that second front, that domestic front, has now even moved even closer to the White House, at least as far as bioterrorism or chemical terrorism incident is concerned.

Nothing here at the White House, nothing here as exposed anyone to anthrax. Nevertheless, the White House did disclose yesterday that at its Anacostia Naval Station facility, the first stopping point for any mail headed directly to White House, trace amounts of anthrax were discovered on mechanicals shredder, not slitter, a device that opens mail, not shredding device, opens mail destined for the White House. That trace amount led to closure of that facility and swabbing and testing of employees there. Also there is a mail room at the Eisenhower executive office building, the next point mail due for White House goes to. That facility has been also been closed down, and workers there will be swabbed and tested as well.

But all environmental tests of the White House facility itself completely negative. The Secret Service tells CNN there is a very, very high level of confidence. There is absolutely no contamination within the executive mansion itself, where the president sleeps, or the West Wing, where his office is and all offices of senior staff are located.

Nevertheless, the president yesterday while meeting with reporters had to answer a question probably he never thought he would be asked or have to tell the nation the answer to. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't have anthrax. And the -- it is hard for Americans to imagine how evil the people are who are doing this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARRETT: Paula, the investigation, the source of that continues, but as I said, the working assumption is that the contamination of that letter that went through slitter at the Anacostia Naval Station facility came from the Brentwood service facility here in Washington, where the letter to Senator Tom Daschle first went through. The idea that is that it was contaminated there. That small trace amount then came off that envelope that went through slitter at the Anacostia facility. That's the working assumption, but the investigation does continue.

ZAHN: But, Major, once again, because the mail service was shut down at the White House, there is no indication that anything ever reached the White House that was tainted, right?

GARRETT: That is correct.

ZAHN: All right.

GARRETT: And of course, Paula, in concert with all of this comes the White House request for children cross America to send one dollar to the White House in order to provide food, medicine and clothing to suffering children in Afghanistan through the winter. Those efforts have nevertheless been very complicated by this entire anthrax anxiety and scare. The White House is trying to deal with that as it deals with the other security precautions as well.

ZAHN: Yes, and I understand they have just been deluged with letters from children all across America.

GARRETT: Tens of thousands of letters, all of them having to be processed with a degree more care, more scrutiny, more precautions. It's all becoming very complicated, almost surreal, you would say.

ZAHN: They didn't make notice of the fact that two of my children's letters got there, did they, Major? Just kidding. No, we sent them the day that everybody was asked to in America.

All right, thanks so much for that update.

All right, the surgeon general is now saying the American people must be on high alert to defend themselves against bioterrorism. Dr. David Satcher also says doctors should watch for any signs of possible anthrax exposure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. DAVID SATCHER, SURGEON GENERAL: The American public and all of us should remain on high alert. They should know that we are doing everything we can to stay ahead of the attackers as it relates to this bioterrorist attack. We need continue to work together. We need everybody to be on high alert, watching for everything in their environment that is suspicious or unusual, reporting it as soon as possible we need to frontline physicians, to look very seriously at anybody with an upper-respiratory infection, take no chances. Let us err on the side of caution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Dr. Satcher went on to say -- quote -- "We are all learning together and we are trying to anticipate what the attackers are doing." Thousands of people from postal workers to politicians are receiving antibiotics. It is a precautionary treatment against possible anthrax exposure, but is it enough?

Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has more on that. I guess that is the $64 million question, isn't it?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: These postal workers in Washington D.C. are standing in line for antibiotics, because they might have been exposed to anthrax. But now some doctors are asking, should those exposed also be getting another treatment? The anthrax vaccine. Many experts say they should. The American Public Health Association, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and the British Public Health Laboratory Service, an agency of the British government, have all issued reports recommending use of the vaccine after exposure, along with antibiotics.

Dr. Phillip Hannah, coauthor of an article on anthrax in "The New England Journal of Medicine" said he would want the vaccine if he'd been exposed to anthrax.

DR. PHILLIP HANNA UNIV. OF MICHIGAN MEDICAL SCHOOL: Yes, I would. I think it is safe vaccine I think benefits potentially very good, and I would want all the possible medical treatments available to be pointed in my direction.

COHEN: Here is how the anthrax bacteria when inhaled does its damage, and why the vaccine could help. When anthrax spores are inhaled, they don't necessarily go into the body. For a period of time, it could be days or months, the spores rest in the tissues and do nothing, but then, when conditions are right, anthrax bacteria sprout out of the spore. The bacteria released toxins that can destroy vital organs and eventually kill.

Here is how antibiotics help. If taken early enough, they kill the bacteria, and therefore, the toxins aren't release, but once someone stops taking antibiotics, there is a possibility that some spores are still dormant and could spread bacteria. An anthrax vaccine is kind of an insurance policy. What it does is prompt the body to produce antibodies, which neutralize the toxins so they can't harm the body.

MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, UNIV. OF MINNESOTA: So what we are really attempting to do here make sure that you have antibiotic protection, your own body's natural defense after you stop antibiotics, should one of those dormant spores be around we take care of it.

COHEN: So why aren't people potentially exposed to anthrax getting the vaccine?

SATCHER: We don't believe that is indicated. We haven't went seen any indication that you need both antibiotics and the vaccine, and so that is why we are not doing it.

COHEN: Also it is unclear if the vaccine would even be available. Right now, the Pentagon owns all vaccine. A spokesman said they haven't been asked to share it with civilians, but would consider any requests. So for now, those exposed to anthrax will continue to get antibiotics, while the medical experts continue to debate.

CNN has learned that the Centers for Disease Control hopes to study post-exposure vaccine, although they don't have timeline yet for that study -- Paula.

ZAHN: So let's talk a little bit about the prospect of the public eventually taking the anthrax vaccine. How many years off is that?

COHEN: Well, let me make a distinction here. There is a difference between vaccinating the public who was has not been exposed and vaccinating post exposure, in other words, the ones we think are exposed. That, as I said, the CDC wants to study that before they actually request that people actually receive the vaccine post- exposure.

ZAHN: All right, Elizabeth, appreciate your making us better understand that.

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