Series of EmergencyNet News Reports Concerning Both Real and Hoax Chemical/Biological Incidents in the Wake of the 11 Sep 2001 Terrorist Attacks in NYC and DC:
22 Sep to 20 Oct 2001

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Saturday, October 20, 2001-10:00CDT

Attacks Used Same Kind Of Anthrax

In a Washington news conference on Friday, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said that the same strain of anthrax was detected in the New York, Washington, and Florida cases, possibly indicating a single perpetrator or group behind the attacks. Ridge said: "The tests to date have concluded that the strains are indistinguishable," adding that tests have also shown that the "strains have not been "weaponized."

Ridge said on Friday that authorities were preparing for the threat of additional anthrax attacks. He said: "I wish I could tell you that we have seen the end of it, but obviously we are preparing for more. That's why we have increased the supply of antibiotics."

Officials said on Friday that a New Jersey postal worker from suburban Philadelphia has tested positive for the skin form of anthrax. The 35-year-old Levittown man was the second postal worker from the Trenton area to be diagnosed with the disease. He is the first confirmed case in Pennsylvania and is the eighth in the country.

The man sorts and loads mail at a regional mail center in Hamilton, New Jersey, that handled anthrax-tainted letters sent to NBC anchor Tom Brokaw and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. Postal Inspector Tony Esposito said Thursday that officials were "almost certain" that a third employee, a maintenance worker who serviced mail-sorting machines at the Hamilton facility, also has anthrax. Test results are pending.

The best break in the case thus far appears to be the letters themselves, especially the one sent to NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw. Investigators say a postal worker assigned to the Trenton office actually remembered that letter because it was addressed to Brokaw. It was dropped into a drive-by box in central Trenton and postmarked 18 September.

Meanwhile, officials say that immediately after the  first cases, they checked with six U.S. sites where  high grade anthrax bacteria is stored and found none  missing. But now that the mailed anthrax has been  found to be of a lower quality, their search is expanding  to include hospitals, veterinary schools and research  labs.

 It was also announced on Friday that an employee for the New York Post had also contracted skin anthrax. The employee, a woman, had been tested with ten other employees considered at high risk but the first test came up negative because she was on antibiotics for an unrelated illness. A second test came back positive on Thursday night.

The New York Times said on Friday in an e-mail to employees its reporter in Rio de Janeiro had received a letter that tested positive  for spores "consistent with anthrax."

In a bit of good news, U.S. health officials reduced the number of  people exposed to the germ in the U.S. Capitol from 31 to 28. U.S.  Capitol police declared two Senate office buildings where anthrax was detected a "warm zone" where no one can enter without protective clothing. According to a police memo, the order had gone into effect in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency guidelines at 2300 EDT Thursday.

Kenya said on Friday two letters sent to the United Nations in Nairobi that were suspected to contain anthrax had tested negative, calming  fears of biological attacks on the east African country.

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Friday, October 19, 2001-09:30CDT

FBI Announces $1 Million Reward For Info On Anthrax Suspects

As the investigation into the recent anthrax outbreaks suggested the work of the same person or persons, CBS News in New York became the third major television network news organization to be targeted by the anthrax threat on Thursday. Investigators say the same type of anthrax spore seen in the first case discovered at the offices of American Media, Inc in Florida was also in the letter sent to NBC Anchor Tom Brokaw and the one sent to Senator Tom Daschle.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said on Thursday that the spate of anthrax infections could be an organized conspiracy. Ashcroft said: "It appears as if there are some similarities between some of the most serious of the offenses that indicates that they might be ... a part of a unified organized effort, an effort either by a single individual or else an effort conducted in concert with someone else."

Tests are still being conducted on the type of spore used in other cases, including the one at CBS News. And, say officials, upon further examination the spores don't look to be as high grade as first thought. Dr. Bill Winkenwarter of the Defense Department said: "It looked to be run-of-the-mill. They're sensitive to all antibiotics."

The strain's sensitivity is a sign that the spores may not have been designed for use in military weapons, since most military grade anthrax is treated to resist antibiotics like penicillin and Cipro. And although they have no definite evidence one way or the other, investigators still can't shake the belief that this may turn out to be a domestic criminal, perhaps acting alone. As one official speculated, "think Unabomber with anthrax."

But Ashcroft said authorities could not eliminate the theory that the anthrax outbreak was the work of the network which carried out the suicide-hijacks attacks on 11 September.

An employee in CBS News Anchor Dan Rather's office tested positive for the skin form of anthrax. She is expected to make a full recovery. The employee experienced swelling in her face on 1 October and reported her symptoms to health officials. It was not immediately known how she became infected, but she handled mail.

Dr Steven Ostroff of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said: "The pattern here appears to be essentially identical to the pattern in other two news organizations and by all intents and purposes happened sometime in late September." New York Health Commissioner Neal Cohen said the employee was exposed to "what we presume to be from some granules of anthrax that was delivered in an envelope. We are not certain of that, but it makes sense, given the nature of the work that she does. There are no public health concerns in the building or the floor that she works."

Also on Thursday, a female postal worker in New Jersey who may have handled letters sent to NBC and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has skin anthrax. Test results for a second postal employee who may have been exposed to the disease were pending.

Sources say investigators believe the letters were mailed from one or two post offices in the Trenton, New Jersey, area and are fanning out to all the street mailboxes nearby. On the assumption that the suspect may have dosed himself preventively with antibiotics, they're also checking pharmacies in the area for purchases in mid-September.

In Washington, the FBI and U.S. Postal Service on Thursday announced an reward up to $1 million for information leading to the arrest of anyone who sent anthrax through the mail. FBI director Robert Mueller said the reward would be for "information leading to the arrest and conviction for terrorist acts of mailing anthrax."

Former FBI agent Rick Smith says the person or persons behind the attacks know more about how to make the public scared than how to make them sick. Smith, who is now a security consultant, said: "If you had the ability to contaminate a million people, you'd do it. If you don't have that ability -- you would send letters to Congress and the media to get the most reaction, the most bang for your buck."

Thus far, the FBI has responded to 2,500 suspected anthrax threats across the country, but has actually found the bacteria in only three locations: Boca Raton, Florida, Washington and the New York area. And although 4,000 people have been tested, just 35 were found to be exposed but disease-free. Only seven others were actually infected, one of whom died.

In other developments:

-- Final tests on a letter in a Microsoft office in Reno, Nevada, have come back negative for anthrax. The tests performed by the CDC in Atlanta were requested after initial state tests showed anthrax had contaminated a pornographic picture in a letter at the Microsoft Licensing Inc office.

-- A letter containing a suspicious substance was found at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Employees who handled it were being given appropriate tests.

-- The American Medical Association is urging physicians to quit prescribing unnecessary Cipro. Pediatric specialists warned that it is especially dangerous for parents to stockpile because Cipro is not approved for children's use.

-- The CDC held a special Webcast on Thursday to teach thousands of doctors how to recognize anthrax and properly treat people exposed to the bacterium. Medical personnel who were unable to access it, due to reported server overload, can view the re-broadcast on 22 Oct 2001.

-- U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson asked Congress for $1.6 billion to fight bio-terrorism, including money to buy an additional 300 million doses of smallpox vaccine.

12:00CDT - 18 Oct 2001

CBS Employee Diagnosed With Cutaneous Anthrax

An employee in television anchor Dan Rather's office has tested positive for the skin (cutaneous) form of anthrax, CBS News said on Thursday. CBS made the announcement on its morning radio and television broadcasts.

CBS News president Andrew Heyward said that the infected employee is being treated with antibiotics and making good progress towards recovery.  ''She is expected to make a full recovery; in fact, she feels fine,'' Heyward is quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

It was not immediately known how the employee became infected. But CBS radio said the network had previously received a letter containing anti-Israel and anti-American messages. CBS officials are said to be conferring with mayor, the police commissioner and the health department to determine the next steps that the network should undertake.

Emergency CDC Anthrax Broadcast

The CDC is broadcasting a live program TODAY, Thursday October 18 titled:

"Anthrax: What Every Physician Should Know"

The program will aim to help clinicians recognize, test, treat and report anthrax cases. Clinicians will be able to pose questions to the panel of experts.

CDC is asking for our help to spread the word on this broadcast to the health care community. Please forward the information in this e-mail and the attached flier to grantees, training centers, relevant listservs -- anyone who might be interested in this program.

TIME: 4-5:30 p.m. EDT

Rebroadcast: Monday, Oct. 22, 5-6:30 p.m. EDT

There are three ways to participate in this program:

1. Via satellite (attached flier has coordinates). Clinicians can contact their state health department's Distance Learning Coordinator and/or local hospital for viewing locations.

2. Via webcast -- a link will be provided Thursday at http://www.cdc.gov/phtn

3. Via telephone (Dial 1-888-917-8047; passcode is Dr. Koplan; Leader Name is Jo Ann Bittle)

Numbers for Call-In During Program * FAX: 800-553-6323

Int'l: 404-639-0181 *
E-mail: phtnlive@cdc.gov *
Technical Assistance Line: 800-728-8232 *
Technical Assistance Int'l: 404-639-1289 *

Click here to learn more about: U.S. Postal Inspection Service, FBI offer reward of up to $1 million for information leading to arrest of anthrax mailers

Updated Information from the CDC -- Dtd. 19 Oct 2001:

1. "Update: Investigation of Anthrax Associated with Intentional Exposure and Interim Public Health Guidelines, October 2001" is on the web at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5041a1.htm

2. The second article: "Recognition of Illness Associated with the Intentional Release of a Biologic Agent " is on the web at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5041a2.htm

Anthrax Strain In NYC May Be Same Kind As In Florida

Despite the anthrax scare that caused the U.S. House of Representatives to shut down early to give environmental crews free rein to give House work areas a clean sweep, the Senate is still open for business. Anthrax anxiety took a new turn on Wednesday after 31 people at the U.S. Capitol tested positive for exposure to the bacteria, spores were also found in the Manhattan office of New York Governor George Pataki, and preliminary tests indicated that the anthrax sent to NBC in New York and the anthrax found at American Media in Florida may be the same strain.

Matching strains do not necessarily mean the anthrax came from the same source. The strain occurs naturally, commonly being found in hoofed animals like cows and deer. It is not yet known whether the Washington anthrax came from the same strain.

More than 30 Senate employees were exposed to anthrax when white powder fell from mail addressed to Majority Leader Tom Daschle. The group included 23 members of his own staff, five law enforcement personnel, and three aides to Senator Russell Feingold, whose office adjoins Daschle's on the fifth floor of the Hart Building across the street from the Capitol. Anthrax was discovered not only in Daschle's office but also in the mailroom of the Dirksen Building next door.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert's Yorkville, Illinois, home was checked for possible anthrax exposure Wednesday night after the lawmaker told authorities about receiving a strange letter. The FBI sent the letter to a lab in Chicago for analysis and authorities later said it turned out to be a harmless letter from a high school student.

The anthrax spores sent by letter to Daschle's office may not be quite as potent as first thought. Senior law enforcement officials confirm that samples of the bacteria are responding to antibiotics -- a sign that the spores may not have been designed for use in military weapons, since most military grade anthrax is treated to resist antibiotics like penicillin and Cipro. Government scientists caution, however, that not all of their tests are complete.

And in yet another anthrax incident, the midtown Manhattan office of New York Governor George Pataki showed the presence of the bacteria in an initial test.

The search for who mailed the two letters continues. FBI behavioral scientists are studying the wording of the letters for clues about the author while the U.S. Army continues to study the powdery-like anthrax itself. Officials have still not ruled out the possibility that the spores were cultivated by an individual with great skill.

And officials confirm they can find no evidence thus far that the mailed anthrax was produced by a foreign power like Iraq, which is thought to have once stockpiled 22,000 gallons of anthrax at a production site south of Baghdad. There is also no evidence it comes from Russia, which, like the United States, developed great quantities of the bacteria during the Cold War. Three government officials said on Wednesday there was no evidence of any foreign or terrorist involvement although they continue to investigate the possibility. One official said there was evidence that could point toward a domestic culprit.

In other threat-related news, authorities have issued a nationwide alert for a stolen tractor-trailer carrying a load of fertilizer and pesticide. The truck was stolen on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning from a trucking company in Parsippany, New Jersey. Police had no reason to suspect the truck, which had placards identifying its cargo as hazardous materials, was stolen by terrorists. Only certain fertilizers are explosive when combined with other materials, and it was unclear what kind of fertilizer was in the stolen truck.

KENYA ... In what was said to be the first such case outside the United States, the government of Kenya says it has confirmed a case of anthrax exposure from a contaminated letter. Health Minister Sam Ongeri said anthrax had been discovered in a letter sent from the United States. He said the letter had been sent to an ordinary Kenyan citizen, and that four people had been exposed to the spores.

Ongeri said that the anthrax letter found in Nairobi had been mailed in the city of Atlanta on 8 September. The letter was received in Nairobi on 9 October and opened on 11 October. Ongeri said that the people exposed to the letter were "not in danger." Two other suspect letters are also being tested for anthrax, including one received by the United Nations Environment Program in Nairobi on Wednesday.

THREATS:

Authorities See Possible Link Between NBC And Washington

Anthrax Cases

Evidence disclosed on Tuesday suggests a link between a letter containing anthrax discovered in Washington and one addressed to NBC News Anchor Tom Brokaw in New York last week, but most investigators don't believe they are the result of organized terrorism. Sources said that both letters carried a Trenton, New Jersey, postmark and were hand-written and printed in "stiff" grade school-quality letters, possibly by someone "who could have English as a second language." Both letters contain about 40 words and one had a fake return address.

The messages in the letters are similar and neither was personalized to Daschle or Brokaw. According to sources, one message mentioned anthrax. Another asked, "Have you taken your penicillin today?" They contained the phrases: "September 11, 2001," "Death to America," "Death to Israel" and "Allah is Great."

Authorities are not sure if both went through the same post office and say they have no good handle at the moment on who sent it. The investigation does not appear to be pointing to any international terrorist networks connected to Usama Bin Laden. Sources say the pattern is too small, the method of delivery too limited, and the payoff too uncertain to be the work of a large-scale terrorist operation.

FBI Director Robert Mueller said that "while organized terror has not been ruled out, so far we have found no direct link to organized terrorism" in the Washington or any other anthrax cases across the country. One investigator said the Washington and NBC letters were odd and "read like a nut case."

After multiple tests, the FBI is now convinced both letters contained anthrax of the quality that can cause pulmonary anthrax in the lungs. Scientists at the CDC and at Fort Dettrick, Maryland, have described the spores to the FBI as "very high grade anthrax." The scientists said the samples were the type of finely milled anthrax one would expect to find in a government-type laboratory, or produced by "someone with skill."

As a result of the anthrax incident, there is no mail delivery at the U.S.Capitol, and security is extraordinarily tight.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft warned on Tuesday that that those who fake anthrax or other terrorist scares will face federal prosecution. He announced the indictment of one such man in Connecticut. Ashcroft declared that the threat of bio-terrorism "is no joking matter" and said anthrax hoaxes tax the resources of already overburdened law enforcement agencies.

12:00CDT - 16 Sep 2001

Washington, DC (EmergencyNet News) -- U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced a short time ago that a man in Connecticut has been arrested and charged with engaging in a "hoax" anthrax incident and then lying to federal officials, who were investigating the matter. Ashcroft also expressed his concern that emergency service agencies and federal health and investigative are being overtaxed by their response to as many as 2,300 calls for unfounded or "hoax" incidents involving suspected Weapons of Mass Destruction. Ashcroft said that those purposefully engaging in perpetrating these so-called "hoax" incidents would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

FBI Director Robert Mueller said of the incidents, "While organized terrorism has not been ruled out, so far we have found no direct link to organized terrorism in incidents in New York, Washington, D.C., and Florida."

In related developments, ERRI crisis analysts said that their preliminary examination of the current rash of alleged anthrax incidents would seem to indicate that there may be multiple sources of the letters containing suspicious materials. "There would appear to be at least one set of letters from a common source that actually contain biological materials," ERRI's Clark Staten said this morning.

"And there also appear to be other sets of hoax letters which contain various other kinds of materials that are not hazardous," Staten added. "As we warned in our advisory to emergency service agencies on 08 Oct, we believe that there may be opportunistic groups or individuals, both domestically and internationally, who are attempting take advantage of a few real incidents in an attempt to further their twisted agendas and further escalate this crisis," the veteran emergency analyst added. "We're sure that the FBI, the U.S. Postal Service, the CDC, and other appropriate investigative agencies are pursuing a number of leads and theories concerning the sources of these incidents," Staten concluded.

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Tuesday, October 16, 2001-09:30

FBI Swamped By Anthrax Scare Calls

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and local authorities across the United States are being swamped by anthrax scare calls. On Monday, the FBI urged the public to think twice before calling authorities. For example, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Dallas field office said his agents responded more than 180 times in three days to calls about letters or packages that turned out to be perfectly normal.

Many more calls were determined to be without merit. Special Agent in Charge Danny Defenbaugh said: "We are coming to the point where about an hour ago we had a woman call in because she has the flu. She called her doctor's office and they referred her to the FBI. This has come to the point where it's actually keeping us from being able to do our job. We will respond but the public also has to use some good, solid, sound logic in giving the call." Defenbaugh said there has not been a single case of anthrax confirmed in north Texas since the scare started.

Authorities said on Monday that the 7-month-old son of an ABC News producer has been diagnosed with the skin form of anthrax after recently spending time in the newsroom. The boy, the youngest of the four Americans diagnosed with the disease this month, is responding to antibiotics and is expected to recover. ABC is the second major news organization in New York to report an anthrax case in the past three days.

Authorities are also investigating a letter that apparently infected an NBC employee with the same form of anthrax last week. Like the boy, she is also expected to recover.

Authorities did not discuss the source of the germ involving the child. The child visited the ABC newsroom in the last few weeks, probably on 28 September. He was hospitalized with an unknown ailment soon after the visit. The boy was believed to have been on two floors of the ABC building for a couple of hours. The child is the son of a female producer. Officials learned of the diagnosis Monday evening through blood tests and a biopsy.

ABC stopped internal mail delivery in New York and Washington to allow a security evaluation, while CNN closed mailrooms in New York, Washington and Atlanta.

Meanwhile, Capitol Hill felt first-hand the threat of bio-terrorism. A letter opened Monday in the office of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle tested positive for anthrax, prompting a criminal investigation. Capitol Police said the letter, which was opened by Daschle aides, contained a powdery substance. Two preliminary field tests on the letter were positive for anthrax. The letter was then sent to an Army medical research facility at Fort Detrick, Maryland, for further tests.

People who were exposed were being treated with Cipro, an antibiotic. There was no immediate indication whether any of those exposed had anthrax spores in their bodies. Daschle said there were 40 people in his office at the time, but that he doesn't know how many of them may have come in contact with the letter. The letter to Daschle, like one sent to NBC News, was postmarked Trenton, New Jersey. It was opened at about 1030 EDT by a female staffer.

The incident touched off reports of suspicious packages in at least 12 other Capitol offices. There were no announcements that any of them contained anthrax, but as a precaution, offices were directed to open no more mail -- it is being collected and screened.

Meanwhile, Americans returning to work faced anxious moments opening envelopes after the number of people across the nation exposed to anthrax sent through the mail jumped. In three new cases, a police officer and two lab technicians involved in an investigation at NBC's New York headquarters tested positive for the presence to the bacteria.

A mail carrier and a maintenance employee in New Jersey have reported symptoms that may be related to anthrax and were undergoing testing. Of the two workers that were being examined, a female letter carrier had flu-like symptoms and a male maintenance worker had symptoms resembling poison ivy. The female was being given Cipro. In Nevada, there was some good news. Six people who may have come into contact with a contaminated letter at a Microsoft office tested negative.

News of the exposures caused jitters around the world, with a number of false or pending cases reported over the weekend.

Among U.S. cases:

-- Planned Parenthood Federation of America said some 90 of its clinics and offices in at least 13 states had received envelopes containing threatening letters and an unidentified powdery substance. Field tests on two of the letters found no evidence of anthrax. Planned Parenthood said some of the letters included messages claiming to be from the Army of God, a militant anti-abortion group.

-- In Hawaii, hazardous-materials teams were called to the Honolulu and Lihue airports following the discovery of white powder at both locations. Tests were being conducted on the powder.

-- In Uniontown, Pennsylvania, a 49-year-old woman was given Cipro and was tested for exposure after receiving an envelope containing a powdery substance.

-- In Boston, preliminary tests on a Boston Globe editor were negative for anthrax exposure. The editor asked for the tests after recalling he had recently handled and thrown out a threatening letter similar to the one that provoked fears at The New York Times last week. He said it contained no powder.

Confirmed cases of anthrax in the United States have even sparked fears of attacks throughout Asia.

-- One of the worst affected is Australia where 57 suspected attacks were reported on Monday - of which seven involved powdery substances - but all appeared to have been hoaxes. Further scares emerged on Tuesday, including an incident at the offices of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia (ACCA) where a Christmas card was opened that contained a white granulated powder.

-- In Hong Kong, the authorities on Tuesday sought to calm fears after police reported two separate incidents involving suspicious letters the day before. Security officials said there was no intelligence suggesting Hong Kong might be a target.

-- Meanwhile, in China, checks have been ordered on suspicious mail. Security is already tight in the southern city of Shanghai, which is this week hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, including a summit of leaders of the 21 member countries over the weekend.

-- In Japan, eight people received precautionary treatment after an envelope containing unidentified white powder was found at a post office in the northern city of Fukushima. Authorities later said no trace of anthrax or any other germ had been detected in the incident. Post offices are using x-ray machines to screen all international mail and parcels that have no return address, and at the central post office in Tokyo, workers have started wearing masks.

-- New Zealand suffered an anthrax scare on Tuesday when a post office in the town of Eltham, about 125 miles north of Wellington, was evacuated after a suspicious powder was found in a mail bag. Four postal workers were decontaminated and the powder was taken for analysis.

-- In South Korea, postal workers handling international mail have started using gas masks and gloves.

Late News -- 11:25CDT - 15 Oct 2001

Senate Staffer Said to Receive "Anthrax Mail"

Washington, DC (EmergencyNet News) --  According to a statement by President George Bush in the past few minutes, Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle's office has received a letter that has tested positive for anthrax. Few other official details are currently available, but it is believed that the tainted mail was opened by a senate staffer. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Capitol Police and DC Hazardous Materials teams are said to involved in the investigation of the incident.  EmergencyNet News is monitoring events in Washington closely and will provide additional details if/when they become available....

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Monday, October 15, 2001-09:30CDT

New Anthrax Cases Emerge

Though there was no direct evidence yet to link anthrax-contaminated letters to the 11 September suicide attacks on New York and Washington, US Health Secretary Tommy Thompson has described the outbreaks of anthrax in the United States as an "act of terrorism." Three more people are being treated with antibiotics for anthrax exposure in New York. They had been in contact with an anthrax-contaminated letter sent to NBC television. Anthrax spores were found on a police officer who retrieved the envelope, as well as on two lab technicians.

The US Government 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. All the cases to have been confirmed or suspected so far have been at media-related organizations. Thompson suggested that it was not especially difficult for someone to obtain anthrax spores from a laboratory.

In the New York case, 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. In Nevada, officials said the contents of a letter sent from Malaysia to a branch of Microsoft in Reno had tested positive for anthrax. The contents, pornographic pictures, are now being sent to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for  further tests. Four employees who handled the letter have tested negative for exposure to anthrax while preliminary tests on two other employees are also negative.

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

At least some 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. ERRI's Clark Staten, who teaches chem/bio/nuclear (WMD) response issues to both emergency and military agencies, said this morning, "It would appear that these episodes of anthrax hoaxes, mixed in with a very few real incidents, are designed to be 'weapons of mass distraction', rather than 'mass destruction'...we believe they designed to wear out emergency service agencies, cause fear and confusion in the American citizenry, and to attempt to undermine the public confidence in the government's ability to protect them." "In reality, American emergency response agencies can manage these sporadic incidents with few victims...the problem comes when we have larger-scale incidents involving mass exposure, or involving bio-agents that are actually contagious or infectious...which anthrax is not," Staten continued.  

"I would caution emergency, governmental agencies, and the public against "taking their eye off the ball" with regard to other threats, to include more conventional threats like car or truck bombs...as well as the possibility of a larger-scale event involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), or other even more unconventional threats," Staten concluded.

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Sunday, October 14, 2001-09:30CDT

Anthrax Jitters Spread

According to authorities on Saturday, a second NBC employee has possible anthrax symptoms, and a threatening letter mailed to Tom Brokaw from New Jersey one week after the 11 September terrorist attacks contained the anthrax that infected the NBC News anchor's personal assistant. In Florida, five more newspaper employees tested positive for exposure to anthrax, but none showed symptoms of infection. In Nevada, a letter sent to a Microsoft office also tested positive for the bacteria.

The New York Times said on Saturday a white substance in a letter sent to one of its reporters tested negative for anthrax, but more tests are being conducted. And several incidents of powder-related anthrax scares were reported on planes. Health agencies, hospitals, and law enforcement authorities say they are inundated with people either reporting suspicious packages, or mistaking flu-like symptoms for anthrax symptoms. The question now is whether investigators can keep up with the crushing demand.

Health officials said a second NBC employee had possible symptoms of anthrax, including a low-grade fever, swollen lymph nodes and a rash. The employee was taking antibiotics. In Nevada, a third anthrax test on a letter sent from Malaysia to a Microsoft office in Reno came back positive,  but officials added that the risk to public health was "very, very low."

The anthrax scare began last week in Boca Raton, Florida. The American Media Inc building was sealed off after an employee died and two others were said to be exposed to anthrax. The company was notified Saturday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that five additional employees had shown antibodies of anthrax in their blood. It means they had an exposure. It doesn't mean they have anthrax. None of the five were sick or in the hospital.

An envelope with a powdery substance on the outside was found in the mail at CBS News' Washington bureau Saturday. The envelope was turned over to the FBI, and tests were negative for anthrax. In San Jose, 80 passengers and five crew members were held aboard a United Airlines jet for three hours after a man reportedly stood up in mid-flight and spilled a substance that later turned out to be "confetti" from a greeting card.

At Washington's Dulles International Airport, a powdery substance found in a restroom on a United Airlines plane from London was being tested at an Army laboratory in Maryland. A US Airways flight from Charlotte to Denver was diverted Saturday to Indianapolis after a flight attendant found a powdery substance on the plane. Tests by the state health department found the substance was not hazardous. It was believed to be a packing powder often used to separate plastic bags.

THREATS:

FBI Investigates Anthrax In NYC And Nevada

Authorities said on Friday that the FBI said an assistant to NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw contracted the skin form of anthrax  after opening an envelope containing a suspicious powder that was sent to her boss two weeks after the terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, a letter returned to a Microsoft office in Reno, Nevada, from Malaysia has tentatively tested positive for anthrax, while the New York Times reported a white powder sent to one of its reporters had tested negative for harmful bacteria.

Officials quickly said there were no known link to either the 11 September attacks or the cases of the far more serious inhaled form of anthrax that killed a supermarket tabloid employee in Florida last week. The 38-year-old NBC employee was expected to recover. The NBC News employee tested positive for anthrax in tests done after the company received the suspicious mail.

A spokeswoman for The New York Times said reporter Judith Miller had received an envelope containing a "powdery white substance." The substance was being tested by health  authorities. Miller, who was formerly stationed in the Middle East, is co-author of the book "Germ: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War."

Vice President Dick Cheney said in a television interview there could be links between four known anthrax cases in the United States and master terrorist Usama bin laden. Cheney said although there was not enough evidence to positively pin down a connection, the cases of anthrax in Florida and New York were "suspicious." Cheney said the United States had ample evidence that bin Laden's followers had been trained in how to spread biological and chemical weapons.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said on Friday that the FBI has launched a new criminal investigation to find the source of the case found in New York City. The bureau is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control, the New York City Health Department and with the U.S. Postal Service.

FBI Assistant Director Barry Mawn, who is in charge of the NYC Field Division, said the letter to NBC and a letter containing an unknown powder received Friday by The New York Times were both postmarked from St Petersburg, Florida. There was some similarity in the handwriting on both letters but Mawn declined to discuss the contents. Both were anonymous letters with no return address. The NBC letter was postmarked 20 September and the Times letter on 5 October. Mawn said authorities "see no connection whatsoever" to the 11 September attack on the World Trade Center. The FBI is checking to see if there is a link to the Florida case, but a preliminarily investigation does not see it.

On the broader issue of real terrorist threats, U.S. officials now confirm that the alert issued Thursday by the FBI was partially in response to warnings from foreign intelligence services. And there was no mention in those warnings of a chemical or biological threat.

ASSOCIATED MORNING NEWS BRIEFS:

NEW YORK CITY ... In what was seen as intensifying fears about bioterrorism in a city and nation already on edge, New Yorkers streamed into emergency rooms after an assistant to NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw was infected with anthrax. Officials stressed it was an isolated case and no cause for alarm. They also said there was no known link to terrorism or the far more serious inhaled form of anthrax that killed a supermarket tabloid employee in Florida last week. But the reports on Friday of the nation's fourth anthrax case since the 11 September terrorist attacks sent New Yorkers scurrying to hospitals in search of anthrax tests and antibiotics.

USS ENTERPRISE ... With fears of anthrax-tainted letters in the United States, the captain of the USS Enterprise warned his crew on Saturday to be "extremely careful" with mail received aboard the aircraft carrier. In an address to the crew over the ship's public address system, the captain said he is urging caution because of the possibility of letters and packages containing biological agents. The USS Enterprise is in the Arabian Sea participating in bombing strikes on Afghanistan. Though e-mail has been available to its 5,100 crew members since late 1998, long lines still form outside the mail room to pick up letters and packages from home.

EUROPE ... As fears continued to grow in the Western world of follow-up attacks to the 11 September air attacks on New York and Washington, the European Union on Friday stepped up its readiness to deal with biological, chemical and nuclear attacks by creating a network of emergency experts and agreeing to share data on available vaccines and antidotes. The European government representatives, meeting in Knokke, Belgium, said that by 31 October they would set up a dedicated phone network to ensure 24-hour contacts were possible between national bodies. They also promised to put in place a systematic information exchange for news on accidents or terror threats.

EmergencyNet News Instant Update

12:00CDT/13:00EDT - 12 Oct 2001

Woman Diagnosed With Cutaneous Anthrax

New York City, NY (EmergencyNet News)-- An employee of NBC in New York has now tested positive for anthrax, the network said Friday. The FBI and CDC are investigating. The anthrax was not diagnosed as pulmonary anthrax like that which killed a Florida man, NBC News said in a statement. The employee tested positive for a cutaneous, or a anthrax infection of the skin.

The employee, a woman who was not identified, has received treatment and is responding well, NBC said. EmergencyNet News is presently gathering additional information concerning both the NBC incident and other so-called "hoax" incidents involving the mail and possible contaminations and exposures.

We will forward additional information and analysis as it becomes available. Given the information that we presently possess, our preliminary analysis would suggest that any person (s) or companies receiving suspicious mail or packages -- particularly those containing any sort of powder -- should isolate them, and any persons coming in contact with them, and contact their local emergency services immediately (911).

*****

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Friday, October 12, 2001

NATIONAL NEWS:

BOCA RATON, FLORIDA ... One of the three supermarket tabloid employees who were exposed to anthrax returned to work on Thursday while investigators awaited test results that might help them find the source of the bacteria that killed one of her co-workers. The 35-year-old female employee tested positive for anthrax after a nasal swab test.

Federal investigators shifted gears Thursday. Instead of finishing the examination of the building where anthrax was found, they moved back in with renewed interest -- focusing on how the bacteria got into the offices of tabloid newspaper publisher American Media. U.S. officials are operating on the theory it came in through the mailroom, located on the first floor of the Boca Raton building just off the main lobby.

Police blocked off the Boynton Beach home of the third co-worker who was exposed to the bacteria, while they determine how the 35-year-old woman interacted with the two other victims. A spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the agency was pressing on with laboratory work as part of the investigation but had not yet identified the anthrax contamination's transmission route.

Authorities say the contamination is limited to the American Media building in Boca Raton and that there is no evidence of terrorism. Federal authorities have begun a criminal investigation.

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Thursday, October 11, 2001

Third Employee Tests Positive in Florida

BOCA RATON, FLORIDA ... Authorities said on Wednesday that a third employee of a supermarket tabloid publisher has tested positive for anthrax and the case has become the subject of a criminal investigation. Acting U.S. Attorney Guy Lewis said the investigation was now considered a criminal probe. Authorities stressed there was no indication the anthrax was produced or caused by a terrorist group or individuals related to the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington.

Investigators have been looking into the source of anthrax that killed one man at the offices of American Media Inc. in Boca Raton, Florida. A mailroom employee was also exposed to the disease and on Wednesday officials announced a 35- year-old woman tested positive. She is being treated with antibiotics.

The woman was an employee of the company and a nasal swab taken from her tested positive. The woman's condition was not immediately known. The woman was one of more than 1,000 people who were tested by health officials who took nasal swabs and blood tests from those who recently had been inside the company headquarters.

The Palm Beach County Health Department ordered the affected building closed Wednesday for 30 days while the investigation continues into where the anthrax came from and whether it was deliberately released. Senior U.S. officials disclosed the incident was a criminal act and not the work of terrorists.

Health officials have repeatedly said there is no public health threat from the Florida anthrax case, but suspicious packages prompted people to seek medical tests in Wisconsin and Texas. Officials also closed buildings in several states.

*****

Backgrounder

Military Use of Anthrax

Bacillus anthracis, the organism that causes anthrax, derives its name from the Greek word for coal, anthracis, because of its ability to cause black, coal-like cutaneous eschars.

Anthrax infection is a disease acquired following contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products or following the intentional release of anthrax spores as a biological weapon.

In the second half of this century, anthrax was developed as part of a larger biological weapons program by several countries, including the Soviet Union and the U.S. The number of nations believed to have biological weapons programs has steadily risen from 10 in 1989 to 17 in 1995, but how many are working with anthrax is uncertain.

Perhaps more insidious is the specter of autonomous groups with ill intentions using anthrax in acts of terrorism. The Aum Shinrikyo religious sect, infamous for releasing sarin gas in a Tokyo subway station in 1995, developed a number of biological weapons, including anthrax.

Given appropriate weather and wind conditions, 50 kilograms of anthrax released from an aircraft along a 2 kilometer line could create a lethal cloud of anthrax spores that would extend beyond 20 kilometers downwind. The aerosol cloud would be colorless, odorless and invisible following its release. Given the small size of the spores, people indoors would receive the same amount of exposure as people on the street.

There are currently no atmospheric warning systems to detect an aerosol cloud of anthrax spores. The first sign of a bio-terrorist attack would most likely be patients presenting with symptoms of inhalation anthrax.

A 1970 analysis by the World Health Organization concluded that the release of aerosolized anthrax upwind of a population of 5,000,000 could lead to an estimated 250,000 casualties, of whom as many as 100,000 could be expected to die.

A later analysis, by the Office of Technology Assessment of the U.S. Congress, estimated that 130,000 to 3 million deaths could occur following the release of 100 kilograms of aerosolized anthrax over Washington D.C., making such an attack as lethal as a hydrogen bomb. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that such a bio-terrorist attack would carry an economic burden of $26.2 billion per 100,000 people exposed to the spores.

The largest experience with inhalation anthrax occurred after the accidental release of aerosolized anthrax spores in 1979 at a military biology facility in Sverdlovsk, Russia. Some 79 cases of inhalation anthrax were reported, of which 68 were fatal.

One of the major problems with anthrax spores is the potentially long incubation period of subsequent infections. Exposure to an aerosol of anthrax spores could cause symptoms as soon as 2 days after exposure. However, illness could also develop as late as 6-8 weeks after exposure -- in Sverdlovsk, one case developed 46 days after exposure.

Further, the early presentation of anthrax disease would resemble a fever or cough and would therefore be exceedingly difficult to diagnose without a high degree of suspicion. Once symptoms begin, death follows 1-3 days later for most people. If appropriate antibiotics are not started before development of symptoms, the mortality rate is estimated to be 90%. There are a number of rapid diagnostic tests for identifying anthrax at national reference laboratories, but none is widely available.

If anthrax is suspected on clinical, laboratory or pathology grounds, then the Working Group recommends that hospital epidemiologists contact local and state health officials immediately so that the proper reference tests can be performed.

The U.S. has a sterile protein-based human anthrax vaccine that was licensed in 1970 and has been mandated for use in all U.S. military personnel. In studies with monkeys, inoculation with this vaccine at 0 and 2 weeks was completely protective against infection from an aerosol challenge at 8 and 38 weeks, and 88% effective at 100 weeks.

However, U.S. vaccine supplies are limited and U.S. production capacity is modest. There is no vaccine available for civilian use.

09:30CDT - 10 Oct 2001

Officials Say Citizens Should Not Engage in "Hysteria" Over Series of Latest Anthrax Hoaxes

BOCA RATON, FLORIDA -- It was reported on Tuesday that an anthrax-related death in Florida was prompting a "national hysteria" on the subject. Senior U.S. officials said late yesterday that the incident was probably a criminal act, but not the work of terrorists.

The FBI said no one beyond an initial coworker of the dead man has been found to have spores anywhere on his body and no anthrax spores have been located anywhere in the affected office other than the dead man's computer keyboard, and those findings are more of a "smear," suggesting sneeze droplets.

The second anthrax exposure involved a 73-year-old mailroom employee. Officials said he had anthrax bacteria in his nasal passages, but he has not been diagnosed with the disease. The FBI said that the spores are not naturally occurring and appear to be manufactured, but do not match any known strains. The FBI is retracing every step the dead man took over the past three months and has completed most of those checks. They can find no trace of any other anthrax spores.

An FBI official said: "This does not make sense to us as a terrorist incident because only one person was primarily infected. If this cannot be explained from a naturally occurring phenomenon, then our assumption is that it was a criminal act."

Early suspicions that the infection was related to a fan letter addressed to Jennifer Lopez is "unsubstantiated" thus far and a report of an odd letter from a Middle Eastern former intern is characterized as "downright bogus."

The disclosures by officials came as a nervous public was reporting bio/chemical attacks in several locations around the United States -- from an IRS office in Kentucky where a woman received an unidentified powder in a letter -- to suburban Washington where a man on a subway sprayed police with what later turned out to be cleaning fluid. Reports of other anthrax cases in Alabama, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Virginia, Illinois and Pennsylvania were also preliminarily discounted, and health experts were urging everyone "to get a grip," and put all the hoaxes in an realistic public health context.

Several bio-terrorism scares were reported across the state of Texas on Tuesday, prompting FBI and hazardous material teams to respond. In one incident, 15 people were tested for anthrax. None of the incidents has resulted in anyone being harmed, or in any actual anthrax being identified.  In Manassas, Virginia, health officials said a man had been tested for anthrax late on Monday and that preliminary results indicated he did not have the disease.

ERRI's Clark Staten said this morning, "we would strongly suggest that Americans not engage in any sort of panic concerning this latest round of anthrax hoaxes...as that appears to be the purpose of them...to play on the  fears in the general populace." "The information that is available so far would suggest that this may be a coordinated series of hoaxes similar to that which we saw a year or two ago and which may or may not be connected to al-Qaeda or other transnational terrorist groups or individuals...confirmation of the source of these hoax threats should be forthcoming as Postal Inspectors and FBI agents learn more about the various incidents," Staten added. "To the public, I would say.. don't give in to the terrorist's intended fear...that is what the 'bad guys' of all kinds want...anthrax is not a contagious disease...and I, personally, wouldn't give them the satisfaction,"  Staten concluded.

CDC Public Health - Emergency Preparedness & Response 

Anthrax:

The following documents have been developed to provide information pertaining to Anthrax that will help private and public healthcare providers develop plans to prepare for and respond to acts of bio-terrorism:

INSTANT 17:00CDT/18:00EDT - 09 Oct 2001

All Clear Sounded at DC Metro Station

Washington, DC (EmergencyNet News)  -- "All tests have come back negative. We have ruled out all chemical solutions and radioactive solutions...At the moment it appears to be a cleaning solution," said Capt. Chauncey Bowers, spokesman for the Prince George's County Fire Department. Authorities also report that a shot was fired, ineffectually, by the assailant and that he was in possession of a 12" knife. The so-far unidentified suspect is in now custody. All patients treated and released. No motive for the incident was immediately established. The metro station was reopened as of 17:00EDT.

*****

14:00CDT - 09 Oct 2001

Washington, DC (EmergencyNet News) -- An unusual incident was reported underway late this morning in a Metro subway station just outside Washington. According to reports from the scene, the Southern Avenue station on DC Metro's Green Line was closed following an incident in which a man got into an altercation with Metropolitan Area Transit Authority security personnel. Sometime during the series of events, the suspect allegedly spraying an unknown substance from a spray bottle into the air.  The suspect also reportedly dropped a glass bottle of some sort and it broke, spilling some liquid.  

Emergency service sources say that hazardous material teams were dispatched to the scene, and several people were being decontaminated and medically evaluated, as a precaution. The exact substances contained in the spray and the broken bottle were not immediately identified. Prince Georges County Police Chief John Farrell said of the incident,  "It appears at this point to be an isolated incident...tests on the scene do not indicate these are any biological agents at all." Farrell and other authorities said that testing of the substances at the scene would continue until they were identified. EmergencyNet News continues to monitor this and other incidents and will provide updates as circumstances warrant...

*****

04:00CDT - 09 Oct 2001

Attorney General Says Anthrax Case Could be Criminal or Terrorist In Nature

BOCA RATON, FLORIDA ... U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said on Monday that the FBI is investigating whether the appearance of a second case of anthrax infection in Florida is a result of terrorism or criminal action. He said that the bureau is taking the case "very seriously," adding that he could not rule out the possibility of a bio-terrorist attack until further tests were carried out.

Health officials said the second man to be infected with the potentially deadly anthrax bacteria is a former colleague of the man who died from the disease on Friday. The latest patient, who works at the Florida Sun newspaper, has not developed any symptoms, but a swab taken from his nose has tested positive for the bacteria which cause the illness.

Public health doctors say they still believe that both cases are naturally occurring. However, a senior law enforcement officer said that it was very rare to have two people working in the same building who have inhaled anthrax bacteria. Newspaper employees in Boca Raton, Florida, are under police guard, and employees have been sent home with instructions to contact their doctors for the necessary powerful antibiotics, should they begin to feel unwell.

Public health officials began a search of the dead man's home and car to try to find the source of the anthrax spores. They eventually found traces of the bacterium on his computer key-board at work.  Reports of "cryptic messages" from a former intern and/or a suspect letter concerning "Jennifer Lopez," have been discounted by law enforcement agencies involved in the on-going investigation.

From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Monday, October 8, 2001

MORNING NEWS BRIEFS

BOCA RATON, FLORIDA ... Authorities said that Anthrax has been detected in a co-worker of a man who died after contracting a rare inhaled form of the disease and tests at the building where both worked have found evidence of the bacterium. A regional spokesman for the Florida Department of Health, said on Monday that a nasal swab from the man tested positive for the anthrax bacterium. It was not yet clear if anthrax had spread to his lungs or if he had a full-blown case of the disease. The man was in stable condition at an unidentified hospital.

*****

From: ERRI AFTERNOON WATCH CENTER REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Monday, October 8, 2001-14:20 EDT

MIAMI ... Officials said on Monday that a co-worker of the man who died of anthrax last week has tested positive for the extremely rare disease that experts say could be used as a biological warfare agent. Health officials last week described the case of the man who died as an isolated one that was not a biological attack. But the FBI said on Monday it was urgently investigating the source of the infections.

State health officials said the second case tested positive but was not ill with anthrax. The FBI said the building where the man who died on Friday and the other individual worked had been sealed and would be examined by public health and law enforcement personnel. The FBI said it was working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to help locate the source of the bacteria.

15:10CDT - 04 Oct 2001

Investigation Underway, HHS Sec. Thompson Says

Washington, DC (EmergencyNet News) -- Health & Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced a short time ago that doctors from the CDC and members of the FBI have been dispatched to investigate a confirmed case of pulmonary anthrax in the State of Florida.  Sec. Thompson said that the case is currently being investigated, but it appears to be "an isolated exposure," involving only one 63-year-old man.  Sec. Thompson also said that there is no evidence at the present time to suggest that there has been any sort of terrorist activity, but that the illness is being thoroughly investigated as a precaution. EmergencyNet News continues to monitor events in Florida and Washington, and will provide additional details if/when more information becomes available....

22 Sep 2001 - 08:00CDT

Chicago "Think-Tank" Issues Supplemental Terrorism Advisory

Document Source: 22 Sep 2001 - 08:00CDT: Chicago "Think-Tank" Issues Supplemental Terrorism Advisory
Chicago, IL (EmergencyNet News) -- The Emergency Response & Research Institute (ERRI) today issued a supplemental terrorism advisory. This advisory includes both the continental United States (CONUS) and U.S. facilities, military bases, embassies, and businesses that can be associated with the United States in other countries (OCONUS).

ERRI's Sr. National Security Analyst Clark Staten said, "ERRI's most current assessment would suggest that there remains a significant threat of 'follow-on' terrorist attacks directed against the United States or her allies in the near term." "This analysis is based on the assumption that additional terrorist cells, associated with those who undertook the recent devastating attacks on the Pentagon in Washington, DC and the World Trade Center in New York City, still remain in the United States...and certainly exist in several other countries throughout the world" Staten continued.

"Although it is believed that a number of alleged terrorist cells have been disrupted by actions taken by local/county/state law enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and America's intelligence services, our assessment would suggest that sufficient terrorist elements still remain to undertake additional acts within the U.S. or against American interests abroad," Staten added. "It is our belief that this terrorist threat will also increase if/when U.S. forces begin to interdict and/or terminate terrorist forces during retaliatory actions in the Middle-East, Asia, or other parts of the world," he added. "Taliban public threats of a world-wide 'jihad' or 'holy war' serve to reinforce this concern," Staten added.

"We currently know of no specific plans, targets, or timeframes that are of interest to these terrorist elements, but believe that it is their intent to cause maximum chaos and fear within the United States...and that they may view us as vulnerable at the present time," Staten said. "We also believe that the terrorists and their sympathizers are also using sophisticated misinformation and propaganda techniques in an effort to amplify their acts, confuse the public about their intent, and/or forestall military action against them," the veteran counter-terrorism analyst added. "Finally, given recent events, and a believed terrorist intent to cause the maximum number of casualties possible, we can not exclude the possible use of Weapons of Mass Destruction in future terrorist attacks," Staten said.

ERRI analysts said that Americans can contribute to American "Homeland Defense" measures by remaining calm, avoiding the impulse to spread unconfirmed rumors, and to continue with their normal lives as much as is possible. "Although we all must suffer with our grief over the tragic losses that we incurred on September 11th, the best thing that we can do as a country is not to give in to despair or any sort of panic...that is what the terrorists want...instead, we should strive to achieve the greatest sense of normalcy possible and thus defeat their fearful intent," Staten concluded.

This advisory is intended to urge additional preparedness, precaution, and planning. All Americans can rest assured that literally hundreds of thousands of America's emergency service, intelligence, military, and other government personnel are working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to help ensure the safety and security of America and her citizens.

Please consider this an addendum to the ERRI 29 May 2001 Terrorism Advisory. Available on-line at: http://www.emergency.com/2001/afri-bmb-guilty.htm
and "05 Mar 2001: Chicago Institute Issues World-Wide Terrorism Advisory," also available on-line at: http://www.emergency.com/2001/ter-advisry-03-05-01.htm

Return to the Most Current Reports Concerning Anthrax Incidents

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