Health officials announced yesterday that a third person was diagnosed with inhaled anthrax infection in Washington (see GSN, Oct. 19), while more occurrences of anthrax spores were discovered on Capitol Hill and throughout a New Jersey post office over the weekend.

A Washington postal worker is “seriously ill” with inhaled anthrax, according to health officials.  Five other people with suspicious symptoms are also being monitored.  The postal worker handled mail at two postal offices: Washington’s main processing center and a processing center outside of the Baltimore-Washington International Airport.  About 2,000 workers at the Washington center and about 150 at the BWI airport center are being screened and given preemptive antibiotic treatments.  Washington health officials are also offering anthrax tests and antibiotics to the postmaster general, an FBI official, federal health officials and journalists who were at the main Washington center for a news conference last week.

“We’re going to do everything we can and everything we have to do … to see that people are getting the treatment they need when they need that treatment,” said Washington Mayor Anthony Williams (Lancaster/Blum, Washington Post, Oct. 22).

The two postal centers were closed to conduct tests and necessary cleanup operations, said officials.  Mail handled at the two centers will be processed at other facilities. 

Some Washington postal workers were upset at the way the situation was being handled.  Gwen Shuler, a mail handler at the Washington center, said that congressional staffers had been tested immediately and that postal workers should have been tested as well.  “Here, almost a week later we’re getting tested,” Shuler said.  “I don’t understand how you can shut down the House and not shut down the post office where the mail came from,” said Frank Evans, a letter carrier at the Washington facility. 

Renee Shackelford, a mail processor at the Washington facility, said workers had to “beg” to get gloves and facemasks.  “You shouldn’t have to beg to get the masks.  You shouldn’t have to beg to get the gloves,” Shackelford said.  The management at the Washington facility was too slow to respond to requests that machines be cleaned using vacuums instead of blowers, which is the usual method, Shackelford said.  Workers were being offered gloves and masks as long as their jobs did not make using such equipment a safety risk, said U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Monica Hand.  Officials had started vacuuming machines as “an act of prudence,” Hand said, but could not say when the change had occurred (Blum/Fernandez, Washington Post, Oct. 22).

The first signs of anthrax spores on the U.S. House of Representatives’ side of the Capitol were discovered Saturday in the mailroom of the Ford House Office Building, according to authorities.  This is the fourth Washington location where anthrax spores have been found, along with the U.S. Senate Hart and Dirksen office buildings and a congressional mail screening facility.  The Ford building is the 12^th building nationwide where anthrax has been discovered.  The spores found might have been brushed off the tainted letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) last week, said Capitol Police spokesman Lt. Dan Nichols.  The possibility it may be from a separate letter was not ruled out, Nichols said (Miller/Lichtblau, Los Angeles Times, Oct. 21).  

Investigators have been tracing the path of mail through the Capitol for some time and once anthrax was discovered at the other buildings, the mailroom at the Ford office building was tested, said Nichols.  “It’s important to realize this was not an unexpected situation,” Nichols said, adding that there had been no recommendations to expand testing beyond the Ford office building’s mailroom.  “People need to understand that we have the best in the world working on this as far as environmental services go, as far as health care services go,” Nichols said.  “I’ve been in these meetings and I’ve watched these people operate and cooperate and discuss this information, and I’m extremely comfortable with how this is being handled.  You know, I’m an employee up here also, and I’m very confident my health is okay” (Federal News Service transcript, Oct. 20).

Congress Back In Town

Congressional leaders yesterday decided to reopen the Capitol for business today, a day earlier than planned, and said they were not worried about the presence of anthrax in a House office building, according to the Washington Post.  House and Senate office buildings will remained closed today “or until definitive [anthrax exposure] results are received,” said congressional leaders.  The Capitol will still be closed to tourists today, according to congressional aides. The discovery of anthrax in the House office building helps to justify the earlier decision to adjourn, said Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.).  “I think way too much has been made of this,” Lott said.  “But the House made that decision, and now they appear to be vindicated with that decision” (Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post, Oct. 22). 

New Jersey/New York

More than a dozen areas within a mail-processing center in New Jersey have tested positive for anthrax spores, officials said yesterday.  Out of 23 areas, 13 in the Trenton mail processing center tentatively tested positive for evidence of anthrax, said new Jersey State Epidemiologist Eddy Bresnitz.  The Trenton facility handled the tainted letters sent to NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw and Senate Majority Leader Daschle’s office. The exposed areas make up a “very small part of the facility” and are all along the path the tainted letters would have taken through the center, Bresnitz said, adding that public areas within the center tested negative.

Two Trenton postal workers have tested positive for skin anthrax and a maintenance worker has exhibited symptom of skin anthrax, though tests results are not in, said a local official.  About 200 postal workers were tested yesterday for anthrax.  They won’t know the results until next week but were given Cipro and information on anthrax.  “People think we got a disease,” said one postal worker.  “I had to take the bus the other day and some of the people on the bus said, ‘You got to stay away from us, you might have anthrax.’”

The New York Post announced yesterday the discovery of a second tainted letter similar to one sent last week that infected a worker.  A number of tests conducted at media buildings and schools throughout New York have come back negative, said Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, though not all tests had come back yet.  The Defense Department has sent a team of 12 specialists to help New York process anthrax tests, Giuliani said.  “They have equipment and people that can expedite analysis so that we don’t have to send out as many samples as we are sending out,” said Giuliani.  “[We] can do the testing right here in New York City” (Harmon/Buettner, N.Y. Daily News, Oct. 22).

The U.S. government could also send three more people to the New York Health Department if the city needs to increase capacity further, according to Giuliani.  The need for a greater ability to do lab testing in the event of a biological attack has become more apparent in recent weeks, said New York officials, adding the need would still be there even if a City Health Department laboratory had not been closed last week after being contaminated with anthrax.  “Even if that city lab was unaffected, we would need much more lab capacity to get this done more quickly,” said City Office of Emergency Management Director Richard Sheirer.  “There is the dark side and there is the bright side.  The bright side is we now see what the weaknesses are and where we can improve” (Sarah Kershaw, New York Times, Oct. 22).

Florida, New York and Washington Cases Linked

Three letters tainted with anthrax and sent to media companies in Florida and New York and to the U.S. Capitol contained matching strains of anthrax bacteria, federal officials said Friday.  The bacteria were not a weapon-grade strain, however, designed to be resistant to antibiotics.  Instead, it was a common strain that can be obtained from universities, commercial and government laboratories and about 50 germ banks worldwide, according to the Washington Times.   “The tests to date have concluded that the strains are indistinguishable,” said Office of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge.  “It does appear that it may have been from the same batch.  It may have been distributed to different individuals also to infect and descend into different communities” (Jerry Seper, Washington Times, Oct. 20).

Handwriting experts, or graphologists, linked together the Daschle and Brokaw letters days before tests showed the anthrax strains inside were the same, according to USA Today.  “There are enough unconscious, habitual characteristics to say it’s the same person,” said Gideon Epstein, former chief forensic document examiner for the U.S Army.  “The more envelopes that surface, the more evidence you have for identifying the perpetrator,” Epstein said, noting these similarities:  the writing starts high on the left and slants downward; placement and spacing between the letters, the words and the lines have a similar rhythm; the height ratios between the taller and lower block printed letters are consistent and comparable letters are constructed similarly.

Graphologist Mark Hopper sees clues in the writings on the envelopes and called them “definitely the writing of a psychopath.”  “Look at the punctuation of ‘D.C.’ in the letter to Daschle.  A real perfectionist did this,” said Hopper.  “Disguised handwriting and sloping baselines are all indicative of a suicidal personality or very depressive person.  The writing is completely free of emotion.  All this is present is pure depression.  Sociopaths have no conscience.  They are without feeling.  They will destroy others and themselves” (Cathy Grossman, USA Today, Oct. 22).

Possible Link To Sept. 11 Terrorists

The United States has asked foreign governments whether any anthrax stored in their countries has been stolen or missing.  So far, no evidence has been found to prove the anthrax came from outside the United States, according to the Wall Street Journal.  FBI agents are also checking U.S. businesses and laboratories that keep anthrax but have yet to find evidence any supply is missing, said one senior law enforcement official.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said he was unsure if suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organization were behind the anthrax occurrences.  “I’m quite sure that if al-Qaeda did have access to this kind of material – and I’m sure they’re working on it – that they would use it if they could,” Powell said.  “They’re coming after us” (Hamburger/Terhune, Wall Street Journal, Oct. 22).

Are We Prepared?

The recent anthrax occurrences have illustrated a potential weakness in the federal government’s plans to prevent bioterrorism: the lack of communication between the federal government and the local emergency workers and hospitals who will be first on the scene, according to the Washington Post.  “Confusion reigns at the lowest levels,” said American Public Health Association Executive Director Mohammad Akhter.  “This is the one thing that causes us to shake in our boots,” Akhter said. 

“The Executive Branch and the Congress have not paid sufficient attention to state and local capabilities for combating terrorism,” said a December 2000 report by a White House advisory panel on terrorism.  A “disproportionately small” amount of the federal government’s nearly $11 billion counterterroism budget trickles down to the state and local readiness efforts, the panel said.  President George W. Bush has called for an additional $1.5 billion to prepare for bioterrorism, however, only a small amount of that will go to preparing local communities, according to the Post.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said the additional funding would be a “first step” and predicted more money would be allocated for local communities.  The recent anthrax occurrences have shown the need to strengthen local public health infrastructures, said public health officials.  “My impression is that everyone is stretched to the limit, said former New York health commissioner Margaret Hamburg.  “It certainly does tell us that we have to make sure that we have greater depth on the bench for the future.”

“The reality is that we are underprepared and we need to do lots of work in addition to buying more vaccines and antibiotics,” said Akhter.  “We need to spend time shoring up the basic monitoring system that connects the hospitals, the public health departments, the clinics and the individual physicians.  That system is either nonexistent or very, very weak” (Warrick/Fainaru, Washington Post, Oct. 22).  

Is the Bioterrorism Cure Worse?

The steps taken by the U.S. government and public in response to threats of bioterrorism may do more harm than good, according to some public health officials.  Two growing trends are the focus of concern: the rise of the use of antibiotics against anthrax and the growing interest in vaccinations against smallpox.

The increase in the use of antibiotics, such as Cipro, against anthrax may lead to the disease and other bacteria becoming resistant, according to experts.  “Our big problem is not bioterrorism,” said Lucy Shapiro, head of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine.  “It’s our response that’s going to lead to a big jump in antibiotic resistance.  That’s the terror.”  Health experts said they understand how fears can cause a person to use antibiotics.  “I was in the ABC and CBS newsrooms on Wednesday [where anthrax had been discovered],” said Allan Rosenfield, dean of Columbia University’s school of public health.  “On Thursday night, I came down with a sore throat and fever.  But I didn’t take anything.  I was proud of myself.”  The next day, Rosenfield said he was worried about his decision.  “I said, ‘If I made a mistake, I’m dead.’”  Rosenfield did not have anthrax, however, and recovered, according to the New York Times.    

In the wake of the government’s decision to stockpile 300 million doses of smallpox vaccine, some public health officials wonder if it’s necessary to vaccinate Americans before a case is discovered.  In the event of an outbreak there should be time to get vaccine to those who were exposed, experts said.  The vaccine could prevent the disease from spreading to those who came in contact with an infected person, providing substantial immunity 10 days after vaccination, said Jonathan Tucker, a bioterrorism expert at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.  “Even within five days, while there is some risk of disease, it will probably not be life threatening,” said Tucker.  “That means there is somewhat less of an imperative need to vaccinate prophylactically.”  A recently vaccinated person could spread smallpox to others, Tucker said, which was one reason why the Defense Department stopped vaccinating troops.  “They would have to quarantine those who were vaccinated so they wouldn’t spread the virus to their families,” Tucker said.

“They don’t have to kill us with anthrax,” Shapiro said.  “They can just change the whole flora and fauna of our pathogen world.  That is about the worst thing that can happen in our war on bugs”  (Gina Kolata, New York Times, Oct. 22).

Hoaxes Are No Joke

Around the world, authorities are cracking down on anthrax hoaxes with new laws with strict penalties, according to reports.  Many officials have said they will treat hoaxes – whether intended as harmless jokes or malicious acts – as crimes.  “The hoaxers drive the cops crazy.  It’s almost treasonous,” said Temple University criminologist James Fyfe.  Homeland Security Director Ridge said, “We are going to after these people … and I hope we get a ton of them.  I hope we thrown them in jail, and we ought to throw away the key.”

In Florida, Governor Jeb Bush (R) announced that police would enforce a new law that makes it a crime to use a “hoax weapon of mass destruction.”  Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist (R) created a $10,000 reward for tips leading to convictions on hoaxes.  New York, legislators passed antiterrorism laws that included increased penalties for intentional false reports.  “The pranksters, whatever their motive, are in a heap of trouble,” said Texas District Judge Ted Poe.  “The days of joking are over.  These are serious times, and people, who do these hoaxes aren’t going to be smiling if they are caught.” 

The law becomes harder to define when there is not an overt oral or written threat involved in a hoax, according to experts.  Prosecutors in Portland, Oregon, said a woman did not break the law when she stuffed envelopes with baking powder and sent them to her mother and sister as jokes. Both envelopes, which contained no written threats, exploded when they went through a sorting machine at the post office, spraying a mail handler and causing the building to be evacuated and the closure of several city blocks, according to the Washington Post.  Some lawmakers said simply sending an envelope with white power could be considered a threat or assault.  “We’re in a different world right now.  If you send me an envelope with baking soda in it, that’s a visual threat,” said Loudon County (Virginia) Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Anderson (Maria Glod, Washington Post, Oct. 22).  

Great Britain adopted an emergency antihoax law today that has an immediate effect of punishing violators with jail terms of up to seven years.  The new law applies to people who carry out hoaxes involving biological, chemical, radioactive or nuclear weapons.  The law is part of emergency legislation to be submitted to Parliament next month.  The antihoax provision, however, was backdated to one minute after midnight this morning.  Home Secretary David Blunkett said there were more than 500 anthrax scares in London alone last week.  “Quite simply,” Blunkett said, “they put us all at risk in the event of a genuine emergency, whilst disrupting business, commerce and our daily lives” (Warren Hoge, New York Times, Oct. 22).

Britain’s new antihoax law may violate the EU Convention on Human Rights, according to some legal experts.  A section of the convention, of which is Britain is a signatory, bans retrospective legislation and says “nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the criminal offense was committed.  John Wadham, director of the British civil liberties group Liberty, said, “The idea that you can make a phone call that does not directly harm anyone and suffer the same penalty as an offense where someone is badly injured is peculiar” (Bowcott/Dodd, London Guardian, Oct. 22).

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