BREAKING: cutaneous (skin) anthrax case in NY City

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Grassroots Information Coordination Center (GICC) : One Thread

Turn on CNN if you can, they are going public momentarily. "Presumptive" positive skin infection a worker in a well-known NY City office building. The affected person is apparently going to be OK (cutaneous anthrax is treatable, usually, unlike the systemic form). A letter is a possible source, a specific item is being scrutinized that was received some weeks ago.

I am sad to say, whatever the actual details of this instance, this will have a severe impact on the mails just as the 11 September attacks had an impact on air travel.

Salud, --Andre

-- Andre Weltman (aweltman@state.ap.us), October 12, 2001

Answers

Canoe

NBC employee tests positive for anthrax

Anthrax information in C-Health

WASHINGTON -- NBC News says one of its New York employees has tested positive for anthrax. The anthrax is not the same respiratory anthrax that killed a Florida man, NBC News said in a statement.

The employee tested positive for a cutaneous -- skin -- anthrax infection. The employee, a woman who was not identified, has received treatment and is responding well, the network said.

A source close to the investigation said the CDC has received a possible report of anthrax but that it is not confirmed. CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds referred all calls to the New York City Health Department, which is investigating.

NBC said the employee is in no danger and should recover fully, the network said.

The network said it had received some suspicious mail and immediately contacted the FBI, CDC and the New York Department of Health. ÒThe mail was tested by these organizations, and the employee was treated by several physicians. All these tests came back negative,Ó said the NBC statement. ÒHowever, this morning, a later test on the employee came back positive for traces of cutaneous anthrax.Ó

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), October 12, 2001.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ