www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/10/08/florida.anthrax.case -> www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/10/08/florida.anthrax.case/
A worker exposed to the anthrax bacteria, who so far has not contracted the disease caused by it, worked in the mailroom. Anthrax was found in the work space of the employee who died. The law enforcement source could provide no further details about the investigation into the letter. EXTRA INFORMATION Read our interactive guide to 37 bioterrorism threats RESOURCES Get more information on 38 anthrax from the CDC "As a health official, it's clearly worrying -- worrisome, especially when we have more than one individual exposed ," Florida Health Secretary Dr. An FBI official told CNN that there no evidence so far that the anthrax exposure is related to a criminal or terrorist act. Anthrax is considered a potential agent in biological warfare. Law enforcement sources told CNN that investigators are checking materials left behind by the jet hijackers believed responsible for the September 11 terrorist attacks to see if they contain traces of Bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that cause anthrax. The anthrax bacteria exposure may be traced to natural sources, but officials consider the situation "a source of concern," White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said. Robert Stevens, 63, died Friday of inhalation of anthrax. He was a photo editor at The Sun, a supermarket tabloid published by AMI, which employs about 300 people. Traces of anthrax were found in his work station, according to both Agwunobi and AMI's chief executive, David Pecker. Stevens lived about a mile from an air strip where Mohamed Atta, a suspected hijacker in the September 11 terrorist attacks, rented planes. Tests performed on Ernesto Blanco, 73, who worked in the company's mailroom, found that he had been exposed to the bacteria. He was hospitalized last week in Miami with pneumonia, but health officials said his illness is unrelated to the anthrax exposure. Testing underway As a precautionary measure, people who worked in the AMI building or visited it for extended periods of time are being tested for anthrax at a health center in Delray Beach. They are also being given antibiotics and health counseling. Test results from the nose swabs won't be available for several days; However, health officials have not been able to reach a few individuals who worked in the building, Agwunobi said. FBI interested Blanco was admitted to Cedars Medical Center in Dade County last week after feeling ill and exhibiting flu-like symptoms at work, Blanco's stepson, Raphael Miguel, told CNN . He felt so sick, Miguel said, that co-workers drove him home, two counties away. Physicians conducted tests and began treating Blanco for pneumonia, but his case became more complex once the Stevens case came to light, said Miguel. FBI agents came to the hospital and questioned Blanco's wife "for hours," he said. At the same time, the hospital ran tests and conducted a nasal passage swab to test for anthrax exposure, discovering anthrax spores in Blanco's nose. Blanco did not contract respiratory anthrax, hospital officials said, and so far has exhibited no clinical symptoms of the bacterium. Agwunobi urged all employees and those who may have spent more than an hour in the building since August 1 to report for testing. Officials were conducting nasal swabs to determine exposure, and handing out an antibiotic which can decrease the risk of contracting anthrax. People who were briefly in the building -- dropping off or picking up packages, for instance -- need not be tested, Agwunobi said. Employees questioned Employees were also being told to fill out a public health department questionnaire, detailing their visits the mail room, text or photo libraries. The incubation period for anthrax is between six and 45 days, a period which would not have included his trip. As photo editor, Stevens worked on a number of stories but did not leave the building, officials said. Anthrax most commonly occurs in cattle, sheep, goats, and other herbivores. Humans can become infected when they are exposed to infected animals or tissue from infected animals. Find 50 Back to the top 2003 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
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