BBC - Sunday, 14 October, 2001, 18:26 GMT 19:26 UK

Anthrax outbreaks are 'terrorism'

Investigators want to know if the cases are all linked

US Health Secretary Tommy Thompson has described the outbreaks of anthrax in the United States as an "act of terrorism".

But he said there was no direct evidence yet to link the anthrax-contaminated letters to the 11 September suicide attacks.

Three more people - a police officer and two lab technicians - are being treated with antibiotics for anthrax exposure in New York, Mayor Rudy Giuliani said on Sunday. They had been in contact with an anthrax-contaminated letter sent to NBC television.

United States officials are trying to calm fears of a public health risk after a letter sent to an office of software giant Microsoft in Nevada was also found to contain anthrax.

Anthrax cases have been confirmed in Florida, New York and Nevada, all at media-related organisations. Robert Stevens, a photo editor at American Media Inc's Sun tabloid, died from anthrax on 5 October.

Lab tests

Five more employees of American Media Inc are being tested for anthrax exposure and conclusive results are not expected for several days.

"It certainly is an act of terrorism to send anthrax through the mail," Mr Thompson said.

He advised all Americans to check their mail and to contact the authorities "if it's leaking, if it's got wires, if it's oblong".

Attorney General John Ashcroft added to the calls for vigilance. He said it was "very likely" that some of the terrorists connected with 11 September or other attacks were still on American soil.

The authorities are still looking for 190 suspects in the United States.

Mystery letters

American Media Inc was the site of the first outbreak, where three anthrax cases - one fatal - were discovered.

Fears of bioterrorism grew on Friday when New York officials said an assistant to NBC television news anchor Tom Brokaw had tested positive for skin anthrax.

She is said to be responding well to treatment with antibiotics.

A second NBC news employee is also receiving antibiotics after showing symptoms of anthrax.

It was confirmed on Saturday that a letter sent to NBC contained traces of anthrax. It was sent from Trenton, New Jersey on 18 September and contained a brown granular substance.

Mayor Giuliani said anthrax spores were found on a police officer who retrieved the envelope, as well as on two lab technicians, but "this does not mean that they have anthrax". All three are being treated with antibiotics.

Malaysia connection

In Nevada, officials said a letter sent from Malaysia to a branch of software giant Microsoft Corp in Reno had tested positive for anthrax. It is now being sent to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for further tests.

The Malaysian authorities said they would co-operate fully with the US authorities in investigating the incident but were unable to confirm that the contents of the letter did indeed originate in Malaysia.

Nevada State Governor Kenny Guinn said the risk remained very low and that no-one from the company had so far tested positive or felt ill.

Mr Thompson suggested that it was not especially difficult for someone to obtain anthrax spores from a laboratory.

"Somebody can have walked out with a vial or some sort of specimen and grew it," he said.

Demand for drugs

Hospital emergency centres in parts of the US are reported to be busy with people worried about the scare. Some pharmacies are limiting supplies of ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic used to treat the disease, after unusually strong demand.

Mr Thompson said the authorities had more than two million doses to treat two million people for 60 days for exposure to anthrax.

Vice President Dick Cheney has said he cannot rule out the involvement of Osama Bin Laden, who is suspected of masterminding the 11 September terror attacks on New York and Washington.

Experts believe the anthrax so far discovered is not the specially-made type of the disease which would be used in a biological warfare attack.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001