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American Morning

Investigators Searching for Origin of Two Anthrax Cases

Aired October 31, 2001 - 09:08   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to update you now on anthrax in America. As we told you just minutes ago, a hospital worker in Manhattan who contracted inhalation anthrax, the more serious version of that, lost her battle for life early this morning. So far, 16 confirmed cases, including 10 cases been -- inhalation anthrax had been reported.

Investigators are trying to determine how easy it is for you to get anthrax from mail delivered to your home. They're concerned about two cases, one now fatal, involving women with no apparent connection to the postal service, the government or the news media.

Again, that New York woman has died of inhalation anthrax, and a New Jersey woman is being treated for the skin anthrax.

CNN's Michael Okwu is at a mail facility near Trenton, New Jersey that has been a major focus of this ongoing investigation.

Good morning, Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles.

And you know following the news that this 51-year-old woman has skin anthrax. This morning in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, there are definitely more questions than answers. The most resounding of which is how did she get it? Now she works at an accounting firm some five minutes away from this facility. She says that she opens mail, but she does not recall seeing or handling anything that was suspicious. She has told authorities that she hasn't even visited the post office in six months.

Now her case and the case of inhalation anthrax that Jason Carroll was just reporting on have really made health officials reconsider ways of handling an ever-changing situation. Here's what health officials said Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: Up to yesterday, there was no evidence at all that there could be, or is, an individual in which there might be the reasonable question, did they get infected from a mail -- a piece of mail that went to their home? That is being intensively investigated right now. Prior to yesterday, when that was not known, the idea that people ask us all, should we then just treat everybody who had any exposure at all to mail, that clearly is not something that should have been done, based on the information that we had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: Now there are 34 contaminated hot spots in the Hamilton processing center. Three tainted letters were postmarked here. Officials are looking into the possibility that those letters may have contaminated others. They do know that they certainly contaminated a variety of mail sorting machines inside the facility.

You are looking at pictures of mail handlers sorting mail inside tents that have been erected for the meantime outside the building.

Now yesterday, CDC and health officials from New Jersey and other agencies tested the home and the office where the latest victim works. From a public health standpoint, officials are concerned that she and the woman in New York may be special cases of people who don't fit a pattern. In this case, postal workers or media company employees, that suggests an epidemic is about to go. Now of course officials caution they have no evidence of that as yet, and they may still be able to link these people in some way to mail.

Meanwhile, today, Miles, caution is the watchword. Acting Governor Donald DiFrancesco is urging parents here in New Jersey to watch and monitor the Halloween candy of their children -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. CNN's Michael Okwu. A lot to consider in that report. We appreciate it.

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