WASHINGTON, 17 October — The bioterrorism scare arrived on Capitol Hill Monday as an aide to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle opened an envelope that tested positive for anthrax.
Additional testing at an Army medical research facility at Fort Detrick, Md., said anthrax was indeed present, said Jay Carson, spokesman for Daschle, D-S.D.
The letter to Senator Daschle’s office was postmarked Sept. 18 from Trenton, New Jersey, the same city from which an anthrax-bearing letter was mailed to NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw.
A mail carrier and post office maintenance employee at the Trenton post office have developed symptoms of the disease. Authorities have also found traces of anthrax in the Boca Raton, Florida, post office that handles mail for the tabloid newspaper where an editor died Oct. 5 of the disease.
Capitol Police yesterday quarantined 40 employees in Senator Daschle’s office as doctors tested them with nasal swabs to see if they had been exposed to the potentially deadly bacteria. About 50 people were given the antibiotic Cipro as a precaution.
Across from the Senate, Congress issued a directive around noon on Monday for all House offices to cease opening mail and return unopened mail for screening.
Congress’ attending physician decided yesterday to close offices in the southeast corner of the Hart Senate office building about a block from the Capitol to check the ventilation system as the investigation continues.
Nathan Naylor, a spokesman for Senate Democratic Whip Harry Reid, said no evidence of anthrax spores has been found in either Daschle’s office or those surrounding it in the building but that officials "decided to err on the side of caution in the interest of public safety."
The letter was sent to an Army medical research facility at Fort Detrick, Md., for more sophisticated tests. Daschle said yesterday on NBC’s "Today" show that the letter was taped in a fashion designed to keep electronic detectors from picking up the anthrax.
Daschle said he’s "not sure that all of this is related directly to Osama Bin Laden."
"I wouldn’t be surprised if others aren’t getting into the act as well," he said on ABC’s "Good Morning America."
Federal investigators have not found any evidence linking the anthrax cases to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The FBI said yesterday no direct link had been found between cases of anthrax poisoning across America with "organized terrorism," but said such a link could not be ruled out.
Even though the letter incident provoked jittery nerves at the Capitol, the Senate went into session as scheduled Monday afternoon and Daschle vowed that its work would go on.
"We’re not functioning on all eight cylinders at this point," Daschle said yesterday. "But we are functioning and we will continue to do so. It’s ... important for us to assure that Congress goes on, that the Congress functions as best as it can."
The discovery of anthrax on Capitol Hill caused immediate changes. Capitol tours were suspended, and announcements were made that all security at the Capitol would immediately be intensified. Federal agencies announced plans to tighten the handling of their mail, and the US Postal Service prepared to send a warning about biological hazards to every mailing address in the country — 135 million.
What began in Florida two weeks ago as a single case, has become an ever-widening investigation with confirmed anthrax incidents at five locations in two states and Washington, DC.
There have also been hundreds of hoaxes and false alarms around the US and the world.
Florida man has inhalation anthrax
Florida health officials yesterday confirmed that Ernesto Blanco, who was being treated for anthrax exposure and symptoms with antibiotics, has developed the virulent form of the disease called inhalation anthrax, media reports said.
Blanco, 73, works as a mail clerk at the American Media company, where a colleague died of the same virulent form of anthrax earlier this month. Lab tests showed Blanco had been exposed to anthrax, but doctors did not diagnose he had contracted an actual infection until yesterday.
Baby exposed to anthrax
In New York, the 7-month-old son of an ABC freelance producer was found on Monday to have contracted the illness. The child had developed a rash soon after visiting the network’s Manhattan offices on Sept. 28. Officials believe the boy contracted the disease there, and say the child’s "prognosis is excellent."
The anthrax incident on the Hill, meanwhile, may slow up the anti-terrorism bill. Congress had hoped to have the anti-terrorism bill on President Bush’s desk by the end of the week, but Monday’s anthrax scare and technical differences between the House and Senate versions could slow down final action.
