Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Puzzled investigators were conducting a second round of environmental testing in hopes of figuring out how a New York woman was infected with a deadly case of anthrax. Authorities examined suspicious packages and powders, including a letter whose postmark and handwriting raised concerns at the Treasury Department.
One month after the first anthrax case was confirmed, President Bush on Saturday called the anthrax threat "a second wave of terrorist attacks upon our country." He said officials were learning day by day, and he urged people to look closely at their mail.
"Anthrax apparently can be transferred from one letter to another," he said in his weekly radio address.
Anthrax testing was under way at 259 postal facilities, mostly on the East Coast. Officials awaited results from 21 post offices where testing was complete.
The biological attack has killed four people and infected 13 others. Concentrated on the East Coast, anthrax also has been found in Kansas City, Mo., and Indianapolis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent a team of epidemiologists to Arizona, a precaution for the World Series games. CDC officials considered a public service campaign to educate Americans about anthrax.
Health authorities, who now believe that a New Jersey accountant was infected through the mail, said postal customers should keep an eye out for symptoms of anthrax. The skin form resembles a spider bite at first; the more serious inhalation anthrax, thought unable to be transmitted through regular mail, resembles the flu.
"We’ve never said the risk of handling the mail is zero. It’s minimal, but it’s not zero," said Lisa Swernarki of the CDC.
Doctors also must be on the lookout, said New Jersey’s top health official. "Maybe you have to think about the possibility of anthrax with all your patients, not just postal staff," acting health commissioner Dr. George DiFerdinando said Saturday.
The president, too, urged caution. Bush said the government is working to swiftly test post offices and other sites for spores and reassured Americans that the odds of receiving a piece of tainted mail are "very low."
"But still, people should take appropriate precautions. Look carefully at your mail before opening it, tell your doctor if you believe you may have been exposed to anthrax," he said.
In New York, investigators have not determined how Kathy Nguyen contracted inhalation anthrax. Nguyen, who died last week, was never able to tell them where she had been or who she had seen.
Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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