Latest diagnosis brings tally of anthrax victims to 15

By David Espo
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON “”mdash; A New Jersey woman became the nation’s
15th confirmed anthrax victim Monday and spores turned up in at
least three additional government buildings in the capital in a
slow, steady spread of bioterrorism.

“We believe that the country must stay on the alert, that
our enemies still hate us,” said President Bush.

Three weeks into a new age of anthrax, experts puzzled over an
unexplained substance discovered among the spores in a letter to
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

Bush’s warning was underscored by a formal terrorist
threat advisory issued late in the day to law enforcement agencies
nationwide. Attorney General John Ashcroft said officials had
credible evidence of a possible attack over the coming week, but he
added, “Unfortunately, it does not contain specific
information as to the type of the attack or specific
targets.”

Neither Ashcroft nor FBI Director Robert S. Mueller offered any
indication whether the new threat related to bioterrorism, as
opposed to an attack along the lines of the Sept. 11 suicide
hijackings that killed 5,000 in New York and Washington.

New Jersey officials announced the 15th diagnosis of anthrax in
the nation since early this month.

The woman, whose name was not disclosed, has been successfully
treated and released from the hospital, according to authorities.
Acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco said she handled mail as part of her
work duties at a company located near the Trenton-area Hamilton
mail processing center, which is shut down following the discovery
of anthrax contamination. The facility processed anthrax-laced
letters sent to Daschle as well as NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw and
the New York Post.

Administration officials sought to reassure the public that mail
was safe. But the New York Area Postal Union filed suit trying to
force the closure of a vast processing and distribution center
where traces of anthrax were found on four machines. The Postal
Service has sealed off the machines and says the rest of the
building is safe.

Even before Ashcroft and Mueller issued their warning, there was
less reassuring news from the investigation into the nation’s
unprecedented struggle against bioterrorism. Thus far in an
intensive probe, said Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge,
“there are a lot of theories out there; we just need some
facts to turn a theory into a reality.”

In all, three people have died and an additional 12 have been
confirmed ill with anthrax in the nation’s worst experience
with bioterrorism. Among the 15, seven involve skin anthrax and the
remaining eight ““ including all three deaths ““ the more
dangerous inhalation form of the disease.