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American Morning

No Progress Made in Anthrax Investigation

Aired November 01, 2001 - 10:19   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now the second battle line on what President Bush is calling a two-front war, investigators remain unsure, and they remain frankly stumped as to where the recent outbreak of anthrax began. But it is painfully clear where it was been thus far.

The bacteria documented in New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Washington, Florida and the state of Virginia. Traces of anthrax spores also found in a private postal maintenance center further west in the state of Indiana. That facility had received a printer that apparently processed contaminated letters back East.

Also in Kansas City, Missouri, preliminary testing has found traces of anthrax at a postal facility, but health officials say there is no risk to employees or the public there. As we mention that, and as we mention the stumping that continues for investigators, there is a number -- a number of leads to follow.

CNN's Susan Candiotti now with an update from Washington as to where we are headed this morning.

Susan, good morning.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

One month after the first anthrax case was discovered in Florida, authorities are no closer to nailing who is responsible. The death of Kathy Nguyen is perplexing investigators trying to find a pattern among all the cases.

Now, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Anthony Fauci says whoever is behind this has figured out a never-before-known way of spreading anthrax that could make it harder to protect the public.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: One of the ways that you can determine the evolution of a pattern is, in fact, if you get other people infected. Now obviously we hope that that is not the case and that it does not evolve. But to just have an isolated case like this, with no connection to anything that we have experienced thus far is very perplexing.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CANDIOTTI: Investigators are also trying to find out how the New Jersey woman who works for an accounting firm near one of the affected postal centers contracted skin anthrax. And there is another new case in Belmar, New Jersey involving another postal worker.

In Indianapolis, the governor there not at all happy that he was kept out of the loop about a trace amount of spores found on a piece of postal machinery. The machines were sent to a private shop there in Indiana for repairs. Officials say no one has been infected at this point. It appears the equipment was sent to Indiana from either the already-contaminated Washington postal center or one near Trenton.

Now part of this appears to be from cross-contamination, but no one can say for sure whether the anthrax came from the three known letters sent to New York and Washington, or if there were more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm not in a position to be able to say to you that we are on the brink of making an announcement here. We don't have progress to report at this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Sources say a team of FBI agents wearing protective gear are going through congressional mail, looking for letters similar to the one sent to Senator Tom Daschle. Was he the only target on Capitol Hill? Another unanswered question -- Bill.

HEMMER: And indeed there are many. Susan, thank you. Susan Candiotti in Washington.

Now quite possibly the one case generating the most concern, this time yesterday we were first reporting. The death of a 61-year-old woman from the Bronx, whose exposure had completely baffled investigators. She didn't work for the government, didn't work for the postal service, and was not a member of the media.

Jason Carroll now, outside Lenox Hill hospital in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where that women passed away early yesterday.

Jason, good morning.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Bill, this really is a troubling case for investigators, because at this point they still have no idea how Kathy Nguyen was exposed to anthrax. So what they're going to do is they've begun retracing her steps. The investigation basically began at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. That is the hospital where she worked.

They've run environmental samples in the work area where she worked, the stockroom specifically, which is located in the same area as a mail room. So far those tests have come back negative, although more tests are still pending.

Also, they are running an environmental check of her apartment building in the Bronx, specifically the apartment where she lived. They've taken a number of samples there, including samples from her air conditioner. So far those tests have come back negative. But again, more tests are pending there.

CNN did have an opportunity to speak with one of Nguyen's neighbors, and she says that a little more than a week ago Nguyen seemed fine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA RODRIGUEZ, NEIGHBOR OF KATHY NGUYEN: I saw her the week prior to that and she was, you know, healthy, happy, going to work. You know, there was -- she didn't seem to have any problems. Then the week after that is when I found out that she was ill, that she had asked the super to take her to the hospital. And then this week is when we found out what she had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Health officials are also going to be paying close attention to the clothes that Nguyen was wearing when she checked into Lenox Hill Hospital on Sunday. A preliminary test revealed that traces of anthrax were found on her clothes, although more tests need to be done there.

Also, more tests need to be done on a suspicious case, also at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. Apparently there is another employee who worked in a different area who has a suspicious lesion. Tests are being done on a biopsy on that lesion. We are still awaiting test results from that case.

Also, later on today, Bill, we are waiting for a press conference from New York City Health Department and from New York City's mayor, Rudy Giuliani. Hopefully at that point maybe they can give us some more information about this case -- Bill.

HEMMER: It would be helpful, but again, as you mentioned, it has stumped a lot of people to this point. Jason, thanks.

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