posted 10-08-2001 06:24 PM            

Palm Beach County Health Department officials just held a joint news conference with the State of Florida health officials and the City of Boca Raton health officials. The topic of the news conference was the second person to be diagnosed with Anthrax.
These four people spent the first ten minutes congratulating each other and getting "such a warm feeling" over the cooperation the other departments had given them.

They then spoke about the closing of the building and asking that anybody who worked there or who had visited there come in to be treated with antibiotics, and to get information about Anthrax should the people affected have any questions.

They ended their announcement by stating that this case and the previous case where, "Unfortunately the victim expired", were not related to terrorism. The first reporter to ask a question asked about the diagnosis and how it was reached. They explained how the nasal cavity was swabbed, etc. The second question was, How can you be certain that this is absolutely not terrorist related when The FBI is investigating the possibility that the anthrax bacteria detected in two Florida men is a result of terrorism or criminal action, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Monday. This would be in direct confict with the statement you just made. All four news conference participants packed up and walked away from the podium immediately, without answering the question.

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John Gibson, on Fox News, just commented on this. He said that this was the strangest news conference he had ever seen. His direct quote was, "What's going on here?" His question, and mine, was, "How can these people unequivocably state that this is not terrorist related when the Attorney General has said that the investigation is ongoing and we have not yet determined whether it is or isn't terrorist or criminal related?
Sorry, but somebody's not being straight here. Who is it?

posted 10-08-2001 06:25 PM            

At the moment, he said, "We don't have enough information to know whether this is related to terrorism or not."

The first patient died Friday from the deadly bacteria. Monday, Dr. John Aqwunobi, Florida state health secretary, said a co-worker of the first patient, reported to be in his 60s or 70s, also was exposed to anthrax, is hospitalized in Miami and is expected to recover.

Aqwunobi said anthrax spores were found in the second man's nasal passage, and traces also were found in the office of the Sun tabloid, where the men worked. This leaves the FBI and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta scrambling to determine the source of the exposure and whether it indicates an attack or other terrorist activity.

The attorney general stressed the exposure of a second man to the bacteria - which are not contagious between humans - does not necessarily mean he inhaled anthrax spores, which is considered the most effective way to spread the disease in a terrorist assault.

"I believe that from the nose of the (second) individual, the (bacteria) was found," Ashcroft said. "But I don't know if it is fair to say that he inhaled it."

The investigation into the double exposure will include experts from the CDC, which "provides the expertise we do not have" in tracking the disease, Ashcroft said.

The Boca Raton, Fla., offices of American Media Inc., which owns the Sun, National Enquirer and other tabloid newspapers, were closed Monday at the request of state and federal authorities, to allow for further investigation.

At a news conference Monday, Dr. Jean Malecki, director of the Palm Beach County Health Department, said the second man exposed to anthrax is from Miami, just south of Lantana.

"We have evidence that this man was exposed to anthrax, but this is very different from a case of anthrax," Malecki said. "Someone could have breathed in an anthrax spore and not come down with the disease." She noted that a large number of anthrax spores would be required to cause symptoms.

The man, who apparently worked in the American Media mailroom, was hospitalized with flu-like symptoms but not symptoms of anthrax. "He is in stable condition," Malecki said. "We have no other cases of anthrax infection, and we have no other suspected cases."

Robert Stevens, 63, of Lantana, a pictures editor for the Sun tabloid, died Friday from anthrax infection. Malecki said one isolate of anthrax was recovered from Stevens' keyboard in his American Media office.

Malecki said all 300 employees of American Media would be offered antibiotic prophylactics at county health department offices Monday.

She said nasal swabs would be taken Monday from each employee, and blood would be drawn from the staffers at a later date to determine if anyone else was exposed. She said visitors to the American Media complex were also being treated the same as the employees in terms of the medical testing and treatment.

"We don't know how long the building will be closed," Steve Coz, head of editorial operations for American Media, told United Press International. "We have other arrangements for publishing the papers."

Because of heightened awareness of possible bioterrorism, health department officials as well as the FBI have been scrutinizing the cases in Florida. Several of the suspected terrorists believed involved in the attacks Sept. 11 on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon lived in Palm Beach County.

The Miami office of the FBI said in a statement released Sunday night: "To assist the Centers for Disease Control, the FBI is conducting an investigation to help locate the source of anthrax bacteria that has been identified in Florida. Every step is being taken to quickly identify the source and determine how individuals were infected."

Timothy O'Connor, a spokesman for the Palm Beach County Health Department, said all tests done so far show that the anthrax samples found in Stevens appear to be natural in origin. More sophisticated genetic tests on the samples are under way.

Malecki said that while the focus of the investigation is now on the American Media building in Boca Raton, officials are still spreading their net in search of other possible exposure points.

The Stevens case was the first case of fatal respiratory anthrax since 1976, although there have been other cases of other forms of the disease since then.

Anthrax is a naturally occurring disease that can be contracted through the skin, inhalation and gastrointestinally. The vast majority of cases arise when people with cuts or abrasions on their hands handle infected animal products.

The CDC issued a statement Monday that said the "current risk of anthrax to employees and visitors to the building are extremely low." The CDC said the workers and visitors at the American Media offices who receive antibiotic treatment before any potential symptoms occur will prevent anthrax.

The incubation period from exposure to onset of illness is usually one to seven days but may be as long as 60 days, the CDC said.

Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved.