The number of anthrax exposures cases increased dramatically in Washington (see GSN, Oct. 17) and potential new exposures were discovered in New York and, for the first time outside of the United States, in Kenya, according to worldwide reports yesterday.

In Washington, 26 U.S. Senate staff members and five police officers tested positive for exposure to anthrax following the arrival of a letter to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) that contained anthrax spores, said Congressional leaders yesterday.  Nasal swabs detected anthrax bacterium in 23 Daschle staffers, three aids to Senator Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), whose office is next to Daschle's and five police officers who responded to the initial situation on Monday, said officials.  No other positive tests had turned up during the day, said Deputy Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu, adding, "we will not see large numbers" of new exposures, although more positives were possible.  The strain of anthrax detected in Daschle's office was a common strain that responded well to antibiotics and no spores had turned up in the ventilation system, however, there was a one positive test in the building's mailroom, health officials said.

In response, the House of Representatives adjourned through the weekend so their buildings could be tested for anthrax.  The Senate closed three office buildings but decided to remain in session.  "We don't believe there's a rationale to shut down," said Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) (Lancaster/Schmidt, Washington Post, Oct. 18). 

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will coordinate the testing and cleanup of the Senate and House office buildings.  “Now we’re in the cleanup phase,” said Program Manager Robert Gibbs.  The testing for anthrax should take no more than four days, said Daschle.  The Centers for Disease Control’s National Institute of Occupational Safety will test the air in six congressional office buildings for anthrax and then workers from the Environmental Protection Agency will test surfaces within the buildings.  A command center was set up to coordinate sampling efforts and officials will determine every six hours whether or not to extend the perimeter, said Senator Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).  “We’ll be ready to go back to work on Monday,” Daschle said (John Heilprin, RealCities.com, Oct. 18).

It was unlikely that the anthrax spores sent to Daschle could have spread in dangerous amounts to the rest of the Hart Senate Office Building through the ventilation system, bioterrorism and building experts said yesterday.  What appeared to be fine particles of weapon-grade spores would be quickly diluted in an office building and be at least partially filtered by a standard office ventilation system that was in working order, said experts.  Once the spores leave the building through exhaust ducts, they pose even less of a threat.  "Once it goes to the outside, it'll quickly be diluted so that it's not a hazard," said Richard Spertzel, a former weapons inspector for the U.N. Special Commission on Iraq. 

Anthrax typically floats in the air instead of sticking to surfaces, however, so the ventilation would have cleared the office, according to Spertzel.  "If you had left the [ventilation system] on, you could walk in there in two to two and a half hours and be perfectly safe," Spertzel said.  The possibility of mass exposure to anthrax through an office building's ventilation system is very low, said James Woods, founding director of the HP-Woods Research Institute.  "There's a huge fear factor, but when we stop and think about it, the probability of getting exposed is pretty low," Woods said (Glanz/Rosenbaum, New York Times, Oct. 18). 

In New York, Governor George Pataki and his staff evacuated their Manhattan office after a small amount of anthrax spores were found.  The source of the spores was unknown, according to officials.  One possibility might be that state police had carried the spores after escorting Pataki to news offices where anthrax had been found or was suspected, said Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik (Purdum/Mitchell, New York Times, Oct. 18).  “We’re going to continue to run the state government from here and run it well,” Pataki said from his temporary offices at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (Eric Lipton, New York Times, Oct. 18).   

New York-Florida Connection

The strain of anthrax sent to NBC News was the same as the one sent to American Media Inc. in Florida (see GSN, Oct. 9), according to officials.  "The strain in New York appears to match the strain in Florida," said David Fleming of the CDC.  Matching the strains does not mean that they were sent by the same source, said experts (Purdum/Mitchell, New York Times). The New York and Florida strain does occur naturally and is found in hoofed animals such as cows and deer, the CDC said (Karen Gullo, RealCities.com, Oct. 18).

Genetic testing on the DNA from the anthrax spores sent to Daschle had yet to be completed but the anthrax did arrive in an envelope almost identical to the one sent to NBC, according to the New York Times. The new evidence supports the idea of a coordinated attack, according to the Times.  None of the anthrax found in Florida, New York or Washington is resistant to antibiotic treatment, said Fleming.  “I’m glad we’re not dealing with somebody who’s developed a resistant strain.  That’s a possibility that would’ve been very worrisome,” said one federal scientists working with the investigation (Andrew Revkin, New York Times, Oct. 18).

Florida

Hundreds of employees of AMI are going through a second round of anthrax testing and picking up another supply of antibiotics, according to the Associated Press.  “All we can do is take the second test and see,” said AMI employee Donnie Gilbert.  The results of the new tests could be available by Friday and those who do test positive are at little risk because they have been protected by antibiotics, said health officials (Ken Thomas, Real Cities.com, Oct. 18).

Congressional members from Florida said they would push for more federal funding to help the state deal with the anthrax exposures and to improve security at Florida’s deep-water ports.  Representative Clay Shaw (R-Fla.) said he would draft a letter to Republican  leaders in search of more funds.  Representatives Carrie Meek (D-Fla.) and Mark Foley (R-Fla.) said that Shaw should seek the support of all of Florida’s representatives, as well as the state’s two senators, in the effort.  “This is a chance to use our collective strength, both Republicans and Democrats, to say ‘Here are our unique needs,’” said Foley (Frank Davis, Miami Herald, Oct. 17).

Russia has banned all meat and livestock shipped from Florida because of anthrax concerns and will not lift the ban until the full scale of the anthrax occurrences is known, said the Russian Agriculture Ministry yesterday.  “We believe it’s wholly unjustified,” said Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Department spokesman Terence McElroy.  “We’re working with the U.S. [Food and Drug Administration] and other federal agencies to convince Russia all of our agricultural products are absolutely safe.”  Forty percent of the 694,000 tons of U.S. poultry shipped to Russia comes from Florida, according to the Moscow Times (Shannon Tan, Miami Herald, Oct. 18).

First Non-U.S. Exposures

A letter to a Kenyan from Atlanta contained white powder that tested positive for anthrax, said Health Minister Sam Ongeri.  The recipient and four family members "may have come into contact" with the spores and were bring tested, but were "not in danger," Ongeri said. 

Powder was found in two other letters, including one sent to an official with the U.N. Environment Program in Nairobi.  The U.N. letter was mailed from Pakistan and appeared suspicious when it arrived, said UNEP spokesman Nick Nuttall.  "It was a very sort of dirty looking envelope with rather eccentric writing on it.  It just looked dirty, odd and suspicious.  We get thousands of letters and some do look a bit odd," Nuttall said.  Powder from the U.N. letter, along with a third letter received by a Kenyan businessman, had been sent to the Kenya Medical Research Institute for testing, Ongeri said (Associated Press/New York Times, Oct. 18).

Drug Supply

Government officials and consumers alike are looking for new sources of anthrax treatments, especially the antibiotic Cipro (see GSN, Oct. 17), in the wake of skyrocketing demand, according to reports.  Bayer, the German pharmaceutical company that holds the patent on Cipro, said yesterday it might allow other companies to make the drug for the United States.  At least five other drug companies are prepared to make a generic form of Cipro for U.S. markets, according to the New York Times.  Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, concerned that the public was focusing too much on Cipro, said the FDA was approving two generic drugs – doxycycline and penicillin – for use against inhaled anthrax.  “Because these drugs are available in generic form and produced by several manufacturers,” Thompson said.  “They will be relatively inexpensive and readily available.  The FDA’s approval will include instructions on what dose to use and how long to treat the inhalational form of anthrax.” Thompson said (Peterson/Pear, New York Times, Oct. 18).

Thompson opposed the idea of violating the patent on Cipro, saying it was illegal, and federal officials said they would not try to break Bayer’s patent.  “I am as convinced as ever that the administration has the legal authority to do this,” said Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has pushed for allowing companies to make generic version of Cipro.  Patent lawyers agreed that the federal government had the authority to act and that there was legal precedent for the government to buy other generic drugs.  “It boils down to something very simple,” said patent attorney Alfred Engelberg.  “The government has the right to procure whatever it needs for government purposes” (Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, Oct. 18).

In the meantime, Mexican pharmacists are selling more doses of Cipro, often to Americans crossing the border, according to Associated Press.  “Many people are buying antibiotics.  The majority are Americans.  They say people are afraid,” said pharmacy manager Carlos Aguilera.  Prices for Cipro were between 68 cents and $2.80 a tablet in pharmacies along the Mexican border, according to the AP.  The American Medical Association told doctors yesterday to stop needlessly prescribing Cipro, warning that it is not approved for children, there are side effects that include confusion, depression, and vomiting and potential future resistance to the drug (Associated Press/London Guardian, Oct. 18).

The U.S. military is reducing the number of soldiers who are inoculated against anthrax due to a dwindling supply of the vaccine, said a Defense Department official.  The only troops being given the vaccine are those going overseas and are most at risk of a bioterrorism attack.  The Pentagon is waiting for BioPort Corp., the only U.S. company that makes the vaccine to receive FDA certification to release new batches, which may not come till next spring, said a Pentagon official.  If the government certifies the BioPort plant in the next few months, its stockpiles might be used in limited circumstances to inoculate civilians, said company spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-McKinney (Dave Moniz, USA Today, Oct. 18).  

Who Is in Charge?

Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) questioned who in President George W. Bush’s administration would be ultimately in charge in the event of a severe bioterrorism attack according to the Post.  “It’s not clear who is in charge.  Justice [Department] has part, FEMA, HHS has six different agencies,” Lieberman said.  “Tommy Thompson said that he considers himself the lead agency.  That’s encouraging, but it isn’t clear the everybody else considers him the lead agency” (Connolly/Gray, Washington Post, Oct. 18).  

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