- NEW YORK - New York
Governor George Pataki reported Wednesday that anthrax spores have been
found in his office in New York City, and that he and his staff will begin
taking the antibiotic Cipro immediately.
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- Pataki said a secretary found a suspicious letter and
called for an environmental test on Monday. When the results came back
Wednesday, one came back positive indicating the probability of anthrax
in a room used by his state security police detail.
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- He said anthrax has not been found in his office, his
secretary's office, or in the building's air conditioning system.
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- Pataki said they do not know the source of the anthrax,
but do not believe the suspicious letter is the source.
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- A spokesperson for Pataki said the affected room is not
accessible to the public.
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- Pataki's office complex has been closed for further testing
and decontamination and probably won't reopen until Monday. It's located
on the 38th and 39th floors of a building at 633 Third Avenue.
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- Pataki said Wednesday that he feels "fine"
and is taking the antibiotic as a precaution.
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- "I think it's the intelligent thing to do,"
he said. "I think everybody is committed to doing everything we can
to make sure the state is run as well as it always has and to respond to
this crisis."
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- Anthrax spores have been discovered at other New York
locations in the past few days.
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- A 7-month-old baby boy tested contracted the skin form
of the disease after visiting the ABC newsroom in the city. He is expected
to recover.
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- A woman who works in NBC's New York newsroom was also
infected with the skin form of anthrax after opening a letter.
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- New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani says a number of media
mailrooms across the city are being tested for exposure to anthrax.
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- Written by CBC News Online staff http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/view?/news/2001/10/17/pataki_spore011017
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