Two Postal Worker Died of Likely Anthrax

As two postal workers died of what was probably anthrax at Washington on 21st and 22nd in succession, the heart of the United States has been seized with the anthrax scare.

And the public health office conducted the first inspection on the Capitol which reopens today, and it found traces of anthrax in the three meeting rooms of the Senate.

Tom Ridge, director of the White House Office of Homeland Security, said, ``It is very clear that the postal workers of Brentwood post office in Washington died of suspicious symptoms, and their deaths are likely due to inhalation anthrax.``

Postal worker Joseph Curseen (47), who died on 22nd, arrived at the emergency room at Southern Maryland Hospital Center due to the flu-like symptom, and died six hours later.

The other postal worker, Thomas L. Morris Jr. (55), died at Greater Southeast Community Hospital in Washington on 21st, 15 hours since he showed the anthrax symptom.

If the two deaths turn out to have been caused by anthrax, they will be the second and third this month, following Robert Stevens, a photo editor for `The Sun` who died Oct. 5 at Florida.

In particular, two postal workers were hospitalized due to the pulmonary anthrax symptoms additionally, and other 9 workers showed the positive response to the anthrax. Thus the anthrax victims are expected to increase.

It is in the Brentwood post office that the anthrax-contracted letter to Senator Tom Daschle on 15th was handled.

The quarantine office instantly executed the epidemiological inspection on 2,150 peoples including postal workers on 22nd.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) managed to supply the anthrax antibiotics to 2,000 postal workers of 36 regions to which the mails are delivered from the Brentwood post office. The postal service stopped due to the anthrax development in the central part of Washington.

Meanwhile, the Brentwood postal workers are showing repulsive actions, maintaining that two workers` deaths occurred due to the belated response of the authorities, and thus the lawsuit should be raised against the responsible officials.

When the first anthrax case broke out, Postmaster General John Potter had said to the postal workers, ``Since the anthrax is completely wrapped, there is no possibility of further infection and thus no need to get anthrax inspection.``

As the anthrax case breaks out in succession in Congress and the post office, the Washington residents have been reluctant to open mails or have opened mails after a thorough sterilization. But the experts advised that the high-temperature sterilization using the microwave might rather cause the proliferation of the anthrax sporophyte.

Han Ki-Heung eligius@donga.com