NY man accidentally poisoned by anthrax

By Daniel Trotta

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A New York man has been hospitalized
after accidentally inhaling anthrax from raw animal skins, city
officials said on Wednesday, ruling out terrorism while
reviving memories of anthrax attacks in 2001.

“At this time we have every reason to believe that this
infection is an isolated, accidentally and naturally
transmitted case. There’s no evidence of terrorism here,” Mayor
Michael Bloomberg told a news conference, where he was flanked
by the city’s top law enforcement and health officials.

In the months after the September 11 attacks in 2001, five
people died and several others were sickened when anthrax was
sent in letters to media and government offices in Washington,
New York, Florida and elsewhere. Those cases have not been
solved.

Officials in this case believe the 44-year-old man, a
professional drummer, was infected by inhaling anthrax from
untreated animal hides he brought back from Ivory Coast in
December and used to make drums in his New York workshop.

After traveling to Pennsylvania, he became ill and sought
medical attention last Thursday at a hospital, where he is in
fair condition.

Tests confirmed anthrax was the cause, Bloomberg said.

The man’s home and workshop were sealed for
decontamination, city officials said, and three co-workers in
New York were being treated as a precaution, though they showed
no symptoms.

Anthrax is spread by bacteria that can form hard,
persistent spores and can cause three types of infections:
skin, inhaled and gastrointestinal.

Inhaled anthrax infections are by far the most dangerous
and must be treated immediately with antibiotics. The infection
is easily cured if treated early enough and cannot be spread
from person to person.

While anthrax grows naturally, it also can be used as a
biological weapon.

“We all remember the instances of anthrax infection that
took place in the autumn of 2001,” Bloomberg said. “Since then,
our law enforcement and public health officials have been
aggressively and vigilantly trying to detect any subsequent
appearance of anthrax in our city. We take anthrax very
seriously.”