Military

DATE=10/19/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-282036

TITLE=ARGENTINA ANTHRAX (L ONLY)

BYLINE=SERENA PARKER

DATELINE=BUENOS AIRES

CONTENT=

INTRO: Argentine Health authorities confirmed late Friday that an envelope mailed to Argentina with a Miami, Florida postmark had tested positive for anthrax. As Serena Parker reports from Buenos Aires, the government officials urged the public to maintain calm and not panic -- emphasizing that anthrax is not transmitted from person to person.

TEXT: An suspicious envelope that was mailed from Miami to Buenos Aires has conclusively tested positive for the bacteria anthrax, which if untreated can be fatal in humans.

Due to the widespread media coverage of similar events in the U-S and the Argentine government warnings not to open suspicious packages, the woman to whom the envelope was addressed never opened the letter thus she was never exposed to anthrax spores inside.

"There is no one in Argentina with anthrax, no one," Health Minister Hector Lombardo said.

The anthrax with a tourist brochure was in an envelope from Carnival Cruise Lines, which has sent between two and three million similar envelopes to Argentina over the past several years, authorities said.

A preliminary test on the suspicious package Thursday indicated a 98 percent chance that the envelope contained anthrax and a DNA test conducted Friday on the preliminary bacteria culture was able to show without a doubt that the suspicious culture was indeed anthrax.

At the Friday night press conference Mr. Lombardo again warned all Argentines to be on high alert to any suspicious packages and reviewed the steps to take when dealing with questionable mail.

The Health Ministry has now designated one hospital in each region to deal with these cases although health authorities were quick to point out that all the other envelopes that have been tested to date have been negative and urged the press not to sensationalize their coverage.

Since last Friday, more than 600 suspicious envelopes or packages have been turned into the authorities for testing amid a wave of false alarms and pranks.

On Friday alone, a public library in the province of Buenos Aires and an airplane at the Buenos Aires city airport were both evacuated and sealed off after suspicious envelopes were discovered.

Mr. Lombardo asked citizens to maintain their calm and he assured them that the health system was ready to handle any potential anthrax cases. (Signed)

NEB/PT