Secondary anthrax cases crop up

By Sara Kugler

Associated Press

NEW YORK — A police officer and two lab technicians involved in the NBC anthrax investigation have tested positive for the bacteria, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Sunday. Nevada officials said four people who may have come into contact with a contaminated letter at a Microsoft office tested negative while results weren’t known for two others.

The new New York cases brought to 12 the number of people around the nation who either have anthrax or have been exposed to it. That does not include a second NBC employee who is taking antibiotics after displaying possible symptoms of the disease.

Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said that he considered the anthrax cases in New York and Nevada, and Florida, to be instances of bioterrorism. "It certainly is an act of terrorism to send anthrax through the mail," he said on Fox News on Sunday.

And Attorney General John Ashcroft said it was "premature at this time to decide whether there is a direct link" to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network, but "we should consider this potential that it is linked.

The anthrax scare began Oct. 4 when it was confirmed that a Florida tabloid editor had contracted the inhaled form of the bacteria. His death a day later was the first resulting from the disease in the United States since 1976.

Seven other employees of American Media Inc. have tested positive for exposure and are being treated with antibiotics. None have developed the disease. A second round of blood tests for more than 300 of the company’s employees is expected this week.

News of the exposures has caused jitters around the world, with a number of false or pending cases reported over the weekend. Among them:

  • In Hawaii, hazardous-materials teams were called to Lihue Airport after passengers on a flight from Los Angeles discovered a white powder on their luggage after they arrived. Tests were being conducted on the powder.

  • In Uniontown, Pa., a 49-year-old woman was given Cipro, an antibiotic for anthrax, and was tested for exposure after receiving an envelope containing a powdery substance. She was later released from a hospital.

  • In England, several hundred people were evacuated from Canterbury Cathedral after a worker said he saw a man dropping a white powder in one of the chapels. Workers wearing chemical protection suits cleared up the powder and took samples for analysis.

    In New York, Giuliani said the officer and two technicians were exposed while working on the anthrax case involving Erin O’Connor, 38, the assistant to NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw. O’Connor is expected to recover from the infection.

    O’Connor was exposed when she opened a letter, containing a brown granular substance, that was mailed to Brokaw from Trenton, N.J. It was postmarked on Sept. 18, one week after terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

    At first, O’Connor thought she had thrown away the letter, but remembered it Friday while being interviewed, New York postal inspector Peter Nash said Sunday.

    Investigators had initially focused on a second letter — postmarked in St. Petersburg, Fla. — as the likely source of the anthrax.

    Giuliani said the police officer had the bacteria in his nose, as did one lab technician. Another technician had a spore on her face. Both work for the city health department, which conducted the tests.

    Exposure to the spores does not mean infection and said the three are expected to be fine, Giuliani said. Their identities were not released.

    In Nevada, where a letter sent to a Microsoft office in Reno contained pornographic pictures contaminated with anthrax, officials said preliminary tests of four people who may have been exposed proved negative for the bacteria.

    Results for two others were pending, with results of those nasal swab tests likely known today, Washoe County health officer Barbara Hunt.

    The six people tested included five Microsoft workers and a family member.

    State officials have sent the pornographic pictures to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for further testing.

    Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

    Talk to us

    > Give us your news tips.

    > Send us a letter to the editor.

    > More Herald contact information.

  • More in Local News

    Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

    Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

    Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
    Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

    Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

    Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    ‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

    Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

    Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

    Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

    People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

    The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

    The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

    The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

    The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
    Northshore School District bond improvements underway

    The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

    An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

    The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

    A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
    Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

    The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

    Aaron Kennedy / The Herald
The Joann Fabric and Crafts store at 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett, is one of three stores in Snohomish County that will close as part of the retailer’s larger plan to shutter more than half of its stores nationwide.
    Joann store closure plan includes Everett, Arlington, Lynnwood locations

    The retail giant filed a motion in court to close approximately 500 stores in the U.S.

    Lynnwood
    Lynnwood police: 1 suspect in custody, 1 at large after attempted carjacking

    Beverly Elementary School went into a precautionary lockdown Thursday afternoon. Numerous officers continue to search for the second suspect.

    Candidates announce campaigns for Everett city council seat

    Ryan Crowther, founder of the Everett Music Initiative, will challenge incumbent Paula Rhyne for the District 2 seat.

    Support local journalism

    If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.