Anthrax Spores Found in Midwest, Lithuania
The 61 year-old woman died Wednesday, but she did not work in mail processing, which has left officials puzzled how she came into contact with the spores.
In Kansas City, more than 200 employees at a specialized postal facility are being directed to take antibiotics after traces of anthrax were found in the trash, the Associated Press reported.
The underground facility handles first-day cancellations, fuelling speculation that the spores came from Washington’s Brentwood postal center in a shipment of mail.
In Indianapolis, spores have been found on a printer at a postal maintenance center. They were sent from the Trenton, N.J. processing center where two workers have contracted inhaled anthrax, AP said.
Of the two discoveries, there have been no reports of infections as of yet.
In Europe, spores have been found on a mailbag at the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania. A spokesperson for the State Department said that common sense dictates these spores are connected to the ones found in several mailrooms in the Washington area, news services reported.
Even more government buildings were found to have been exposed to anthrax. Reuters said that four mailrooms for the Food and Drug Administration have been tested positive, according to the AP.
As more spores are found, the U.S. Postal Service has said that because of the terrorist attacks and fears of infection, it will take a huge financial hit.
Postmaster General John Potter has said that proposed two cent increase in the price of stamps could help the USPS deal with an estimated $1.4 billion shortfall this year, the AP said.
President of the American Postal Workers Union, William Burrus, said that the Postal Service may be trying to freeze pay rates and cut benefits to postal workers in an effort to save money, according to the news service.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the USPS has claimed a loss of more $300 million in income.
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