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American Morning

Second NBC Employee has Cutaneous Anthrax; Second New Jersey Postal Worker May Have Inhalation Anthrax

Aired October 26, 2001 - 09:14   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're going to turn now to the New York area. Anthrax, of course, has now been confirmed on four sorting machines in Manhattan's largest mail distribution center. CNN's Michael Okwu has the latest on that and what is being done to try to make that mail system safe. He joins us live from the site of another mail facility, in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, unfortunately a place where there is great fear that people have been infected by mail passing through there. Michael, what is latest from there this morning?

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, the sobering news continues in New York and New Jersey. New York City health officials have confirmed that a second NBC employee has contracted cutaneous anthrax or skin anthrax while working in the same area where Tom Brokaw's assistant was infected when she came into contact with a contaminated letter and just across town from there, as you mentioned, at the largest postal facility, or, I should say, distribution facility in Manhattan, authorities have determined that four high- speed sorting machines were contaminated with anthrax spores. The head of the union there, the Postal Union, says that if building is not closed and cleaned, he will not allow his members to enter it.

And here in New Jersey, of course, officials say that a second female postal worker may have inhalation anthrax, specifically, they say, she has potential inhalation anthrax. Now that is one step below suspected inhalation anthrax. You will recall just days ago that another female postal worker here had been announced as having suspected inhalation anthrax.

Now, if all of this is very confusing, basically, this is how it works, and I will refer to my notes, so as to not be any more confusing. In a suspected case, a patient exhibits symptoms and some, some lab results come back positive. In a potential case, the patient exhibits symptoms but there are no positive lab results or no positive lab results as yet. So that may change, but until it does, the status remains the same, as a potential case. Now, here's what New Jersey health officials, and the CDC specifically, had to say about this last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. BETH BELL, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: The new case is not suspected new case. The new case has a clinical picture, which is not inconsistent with inhalational anthrax. We have no laboratory data at the moment to support such a diagnosis. This person is not a suspected case.

OKWU: Meanwhile, health officials here are being very cautious. They are telling postal workers in Ewing Township some 15 miles from here and postal workers in Hamilton Township, as well as in Carteret, where there is another postal facility, to begin a 60 day, as opposed to a 10 day, course of antibiotics. In the meantime, Paula, the flag here in Hamilton Township is still at half staff.

ZAHN: Powerful reminder of what that community has gone through. Michael Okwu, thanks so much.

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