World on Alert After U.S. Anthrax Scares
Oct. 16 -- Anthrax may not be contagious, but alerts around the world today proved how communicable fear is.
The scares, stretching from Canada to New Zealand, follow a week in which several high-profile American figures and organizations revealed they had been targeted with anthrax.
But all of the incidents abroad today proved to be false alarms. Many of them were from people who mistook flour or other white powder for the substance that has been sent to some U.S. victims, or were the work of hoaxsters.
There has not been any new discoveries of anthrax in any form outside U.S. borders.
On Monday, the infant son of an ABCNEWS producer was diagnosed with anthrax and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said he had received an anthrax contaminated letter.
Last week, NBC reported that one of its employees tested positive for anthrax after receiving a threatening letter intended for anchorman Tom Brokaw.
The first report of an anthrax exposure came on Oct. 9, when American Media, publishers of the tabloid The National Enquirer, closed its Boca Raton, Fla. headquarters after revealing one of its employees had died from the disease.
That employee has so far been the only person to die from anthrax. Twelve others are known to have been exposed.
Panic in the Postal System
In Israel, the Maariv tabloid received a suspicious letter containing white powder along with a note saying "regards from Afghanistan." Police evacuated the Jerusalem building and called in hazardous materials experts, but the incident turned out to be prank.
In London, 12 mail room employees from the London Stock Exchange were taken to the hospital for tests after receiving a suspect package, but none showed symptoms. They were being tested as a "precautionary measure," police said.
Across the channel, the headquarters of the French Space Agency and Arianespace, as well as German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's building received suspicious letters. Tests on all the mail proved negative.
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