A close watch on all international mail is being maintained in the wake of Anthrax scare abroad. "We are keeping our fingers crossed and maintaining a close watch on international mail in particular,” member secretary (operations) of the postal department Gautam Gupta said in New Delhi.
“The mail sorters had been asked to follow all norms including those prescribed by the Universal Postal Union of the United Nations. And the main watch is being maintained at the post offices located at various international airports, Gupta said, adding that the sorters have been asked to take precautions like wearing of gloves and masks while opening a suspicious looking mail”.
The member secretary said, “The department had no equipment to detect any letter containing Anthrax powder but in case of suspicion, the postal department would seek help from other agencies in this regard”.
Meanwhile, National Institute of Communicable Diseases is examining two envelopes received from Apollo hospitals and a police station here for presence of any Anthrax spores. These had some powdery substance and though preliminary investigation did not show presence of Anthrax, the institute was carrying out detailed investigations, according to its Director Dr K K Dutta. Bureau Report