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MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2001

A letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) contained the deadly anthrax bacterium, law enforcement officials said today.

The letter was being field-tested and staff exposed to it are being tested. Mail has halted to the U.S. Capitol building.

The letter, which was opened this morning, brings the total of anthrax cases and exposures to 13. Earlier this month, a Florida man succumbed to anthrax after contracting it at his place of employment.

New York, Nevada and Florida have been the focal points of an investigation into what federal authorities are calling a crime and what Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompsons is calling bio-terrorism. But officials point out there is nothing that connects the cases to September 11's terrorist attacks or the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

The Florida man died after inhaling a powder form of anthrax, which is hard to produce, according to experts. An NBC employee and others have tested positive for the skin version of anthrax, which is almost always not deadly and often goes away on its own.

Nevertheless, the country continues to be on high alert as planes were diverted and suspicious packages, trucks and materials lead to minor crises. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend the purchase of gas masks for those worried about inhaling anthrax.

Should anthrax become a threat, the government is prepared to make avaiable vaccines and treatments for it. Thompson is asking Congress for $1.5 billion to purchase anti-biotics and for other bio-terrorism programs.

Get the Story:
Initial Test Reveals Anthrax in Daschle Letter (The Washington Post 10/15)
Detective, Scientists Exposed to Anthrax (The Washington Post 10/15)
N.Y. Anthrax Cases Bring Total to 12 (AP 10/15)
Missteps Cited in Responding to NBC Scare (The New York Times 10/15)
Wider Anthrax Reports, but No Link Is Found (The New York Times 10/15)
Envelope Sent to an Office in Reno Contained Anthrax (The New York Times 10/15)
U.S. Moving to Buttress Defense Against the Bioterrorism Threat (The New York Times 10/15)
Most-Accurate Anthrax Tests Take Time and Money (The New York Times 10/15)
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Relevant Links:
Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program, Department of Defense - http://www.anthrax.osd.mil

Related Stories:
New York City hit with anthrax scare (10/12)