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New anthrax case reported in New York, Laden connection suspected
An anthrax scare gripped the United States on Friday as a fourth case of infection by the bacteria with germ warfare potential was discovered. US Vice President Dick Cheney said there could be links between the anthrax cases and bin Laden.
An anthrax scare gripped the United States on Friday as a fourth case of infection by the bacteria with germ warfare potential was discovered. US Vice President Dick Cheney said there could be links between the anthrax cases and bin Laden.
In New York, a 38-year-old woman employee of NBC became the fourth known person to be infected with anthrax in a week of scares about germ warfare.
The network said she probably became infected after handling a letter containing a white powdery substance sent from Florida and addressed to the network's evening news anchor, Tom Brokaw. A similar letter was sent to New York Times correspondent Judith Miller, the co-author of a book about germ warfare, but she turned it over to police before opening it. That powder tested negative for anthrax.
Scores of businesses across the country clamped down on opening suspicious mail and turned their mail rooms into "hot zones" where employees wore gloves and deposited suspect packages into special containers. Markets fell as worries about more attacks roiled Wall Street. The dollar fell, and the Dow industrials was off 1.15 percent to 9,302. European bourses were mixed -- despite a nearly 5 percent gain by German pharmaceutical and chemical giant Bayer on news of the New York anthrax exposure.
Bureau Report
The network said she probably became infected after handling a letter containing a white powdery substance sent from Florida and addressed to the network's evening news anchor, Tom Brokaw. A similar letter was sent to New York Times correspondent Judith Miller, the co-author of a book about germ warfare, but she turned it over to police before opening it. That powder tested negative for anthrax.
Scores of businesses across the country clamped down on opening suspicious mail and turned their mail rooms into "hot zones" where employees wore gloves and deposited suspect packages into special containers. Markets fell as worries about more attacks roiled Wall Street. The dollar fell, and the Dow industrials was off 1.15 percent to 9,302. European bourses were mixed -- despite a nearly 5 percent gain by German pharmaceutical and chemical giant Bayer on news of the New York anthrax exposure.
Bureau Report