University responds to anthrax concerns

New Jersey has taken center stage in what is becoming a national anthrax scare as federal officials rush to respond to a growing number of reports of infectious biological agents.

Suspect packages have arrived at Rockefeller Center in New York, the American Media, Inc., building in Florida, Senate offices in Washington and a Microsoft subsidiary in Nevada. Of those, at least two infected parcels are believed to have been postmarked in Trenton, less than 15 miles from the University.

Trenton Area Postmaster Joe Sautello said in a press conference yesterday that the infected package in New York — sent to NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw — was postmarked in Trenton, and he acknowledged that there are unconfirmed reports that the letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) was also postmarked in Trenton.

Given the University's proximity to these postal facilities, administrators are taking precautions to ensure that students and faculty know who to contact and what to do if they receive a suspicious package.

"We want to be informative to the people so that there is no panic, but at the same time be up front that it exists and what steps you can take," said Public Safety Capt. Donald Reichling. "Basically, it is about extreme caution and being prudent," he added.

Anthrax information — including local law enforcement and healthcare contact phone numbers, a list of anthrax symptoms and mail handling protocols — was posted on the University webpage Friday.

"By posting this information, we wanted to provide some guidelines and alert everyone in the community to available resources," said University spokeswoman Marilyn Marks. "I don't think there is any reason to suspect a suspicious package will turn up on campus, but we want to make sure that people here, as elsewhere, are aware and cautious."

United States Postal Service officials also stressed yesterday in a press conference that given the volume of mail sent in the United States daily, it is highly unlikely that an individual would receive any type of infected package.

The Trenton mail system, Sautello said, handles more than 200,000 pieces of mail daily in 46 post offices. The mail from these post offices is then processed in a Hamilton Township facility, he said.

The Princeton Medical Center saw half a dozen people this past weekend who believed they might have been exposed to anthrax.

"One individual and one family came to the medical center," said PMC director Carol Norris. "[The Mercer County Hazardous Materials Unit] responded and decontaminated the family and then decontaminated their house and took a sample of the white powder they were exposed to."

The individual's test results returned negative and the family's test results were not available late yesterday, though Norris said that "there are no confirmed cases at PMC."

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Other Ivy League institutions are also informing their campuses of a potential anthrax threat. Columbia University issued a campus-wide e-mail Friday containing contact information for local health and law enforcement facilities and descriptions of anthrax symptoms and treatment. The University of Pennsylvania posted similar information on its website.

The University's response to a student or faculty report of a suspicious package is to immediately send Public Safety personnel to the scene.

"We're like any other emergency manager," said Reichling. "We're the first on the scene and are going to make the decision what agencies will be notified."

New Jersey state government has implemented new funding this month to increase medical services and surveillance of biological and chemical agents. Acting Governor Donald DiFrancesco signed four bills two weeks ago allocating $9 million for improved response planning, laboratory testing and crisis management.

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, a recipient of the new funding, is stepping up surveillance and education efforts.

There are several types of human illnesses caused by b. anthracis, commonly known as anthrax.

Cutaneous infections, according to the NJDHSS, are characterized by skin lesions and transmitted by direct contact with infected tissues or secretions.

Inhalation infections, which are considered more serious, display the symptoms of a respiratory illness — fever and mild cough or chest pain — and are not known to be transmitted from person to person.

The other two types — intestinal and oropharyngeal — involve the ingestion of anthrax spores or their deposit in the mouth and cause abdominal stress or lesions in the mouth.

Despite the dangerous nature of anthrax infections, University Public Safety officials say notifying students and faculty of possible risk outweighs the potential of alarming people.

"We're concerned with safety," Reichling said. "I'd rather people be careful than casual. If [a package] doesn't fit and doesn't make sense, don't open it: Report it."