Anthrax: New case of inhalation

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Capitol building will reopen Monday, but House and Senate offices will remain closed, a Capitol Police spokesman said Sunday.

Environmental sweeps at the Capitol for anthrax came back negative, Capitol Police Lt. Dan Nichols said. The findings prompted scientists and health care professionals to suggest the building reopen, he said.

The Washington Health Department is investigating additional cases of possible anthrax infection, including one person connected to the Brentwood mail facility who has been hospitalized. The Brentwood facility processes almost all mail to the District of Columbia.

A postal worker who worked at the facility was diagnosed Sunday with inhalation anthrax, the third confirmed case of this most serious form of the disease since October 1, Washington health officials told CNN.

On Saturday, police found traces of anthrax at the offices of the New York Post and in two separate offices in Washington that handle mail sent to members of Congress.

A letter police found in the mailroom of the New York Post tested positive for anthrax and had the same postmark as anthrax-laced letters sent to Sen. Tom Daschle and NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, an FBI official said Saturday.

It is not known if the letter infected a Post editorial page assistant, who contracted cutaneous, or skin, anthrax.

Investigators in Washington found traces of anthrax on a mail bundling machine in the Ford House Office Building and in the Capitol Police's off-site mail delivery center, where all mail for Congress is received, a Capitol Police spokesman said.

CASE HISTORY:



		• Summary • Case history • Key questions • Bottom line



IN-DEPTH

VIDEO/AUDIO

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EXTRA INFORMATION

•	Anthrax symptoms


•	Tracking the bacteria

RESOURCES
•	Advice on suspicious packages

•	Message board

Infections -- 9

Florida -- Robert Stevens, dead of inhalation anthrax

Washington, DC -- Capitol Hill postal worker, case of inhalation anthrax

New York -- New York Post employee, cutaneous anthrax infection

New York -- NBC News woman, cutaneous anthrax infection

New York -- ABC News, baby of producer, cutaneous anthrax infection

Florida -- Ernesto Blanco, very ill; CDC calls it a case of inhaled anthrax infection

New York -- CBS employee in Dan Rather's office, cutaneous anthrax infection

New Jersey -- A Hamilton Township postal worker, cutaneous anthrax infection; a second postal worker in Trenton, New Jersey also tested positive for the same infection

Exposures -- 32

Washington -- 28 people in the Hart Senate Office Building

Florida -- Stephanie Dailey, an American Media Inc. employee

New York -- One police officer, two lab technicians who were investigating NBC News facility

Outstanding

5 AMI employees in Florida whose tests are still outstanding for possible exposure

KEY QUESTIONS:

Is there a connection between the September 11 attacks and the recent anthrax scares?

What should be done with a suspicious package? Click here for more

Are antibiotics available to combat anthrax? Click here for more

How quickly do anthrax symptoms manifest? Click here for more

What does "weapons-grade" anthrax mean? Click here for more

What is being done about anthrax hoaxes? Click here for more

Where is anthrax produced?

Does anthrax serve any other medical purpose?

BOTTOM LINE:

Recent anthrax scares across the United States have heightened the anxiety level of a nation still reeling from the terrorist attacks on September 11. In the days to come, investigators will try to determine whether the anthrax originated domestically or internationally, and whether it is connected to the events of September 11.