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Politics : America Under Siege: The End of Innocence -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lorne who wrote (10818)	11/19/2001 9:47:18 PM
From: lorne	Respond to of 27666

Chile Says Letter Contained Anthrax; Would Be First Tainted Mail Outside United States The Associated Press Published: Nov 19, 2001 SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - The government said Monday that a letter sent from Switzerland to Chile was tainted with anthrax. If confirmed, it would be the first case of the deadly bacteria in mail outside the United States since tainted letters raised a worldwide bioterrorism alarm in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A sample of powder from the letter was to be tested by the Centers for Disease Control, Health Minister Michelle Bachelet said. There have been false alarms worldwide, including cases in Kenya and the Bahamas in which authorities said they had found dangerous forms of anthrax in mail, but later said that further testing found no anthrax. In Argentina, officials said that spores of anthrax found in a mailed travel brochure were of a harmless strain. "We are aware that the Chile government has found a specimen that they believe to be consistent with anthrax," said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner in Atlanta. "We are working to have the specimen tested," he said, adding that testing would take several days. Bachelet said Monday that the anthrax was found in an envelope containing a small amount of white powder as well as papers. Neither the person who opened the envelope nor 12 others who were nearby have tested positive for exposure to anthrax spores, Bachelet said. The 13 people were being given antibiotics as a precaution and were "all in perfect condition," she said. The letter, sent by an undisclosed American company, was received last week. Three tests at Chile's Public Health Institute came back positive, Bachelet said. Bachelet declined to identify the sender or the company in downtown Santiago that received the letter ap.tbo.com