Thirty-one U.S. Senate workers tested positive for a highly potent form of anthrax Wednesday, as confirmed cases of anthrax exposure inundated Capitol Hill.
Twenty-three workers in the office of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, tested positive for anthrax spores after a letter sent to Daschle’s office tested positive for the bacteria.
Five Capitol security officers tested positive, along with three staff members for Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.
In an unprecedented action, the House of Representatives shut down until at least Tuesday as a precaution.
Daschle’s headquarters is in the southeast wing of the Hart Senate Office Building, which houses Senate offices. Feingold’s office is located next to Daschle’s suite. Feingold announced Wednesday three of his staff had tested positive for anthrax.
“On Monday, a letter sent to the office of Senator Tom Daschle, D-S.D., was found to contain a substance that tested positive for anthrax,” Feingold said. “Because my Washington D.C. office is right next door to Sen. Daschle’s mailroom, members of my staff were tested on Monday for the presence of the anthrax bacteria. So far, the test results for three of my staffers have come back positive for the presence of the bacteria.”
Feingold emphasized the difference between infection and exposure to the bacteria.
“This does not necessarily mean that those staffers are infected,” Feingold said. “As a precaution, those staffers will be on the full 60-day regimen of antibiotics.”
The Senate and House have both taken precautions; no mail is being opened and the offices will be closed to examine the airways for anthrax and decontaminate them if necessary.
“The Senate Office Buildings are closed [Wednesday] for environmental testing, but the Senate will be in session for at least a vote tomorrow,” said Jessica Catlin, aide to Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis.
The antibiotic Cipro has been used to treat and attempt to prevent the onset of anthrax, and many Capitol employees have begun taking at least a three-day regimen to prevent the infection.
“The whole office either has or will be tested for exposure,” Catlin said. “They have started antibiotics to begin treating until the results are back.”
A few thousand congressional employees lined up to receive tests for anthrax exposure and precautionary antibiotics distributed by health officials.
During a press conference, Daschle said the form of anthrax the Senate workers were exposed to is treatable with antibiotics.
Although the House suspended action until Tuesday, no anthrax infection reports have surfaced among House members.
Jerilyn Goodman, press secretary to Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said there was no reason to believe any staff members in Baldwin’s offices were in danger. No tests were performed on any Baldwin staff members.
Mail delivery was suspended Monday to House and Senate offices and district offices have followed suit.
“Our Wisconsin office is up and running fully and we are having all calls forwarded from Washington,” Goodman said. “The only thing we are doing differently is we are not opening mail at the present time.”
Precautions are being taken nationwide because of the threat. Many offices have suspended mail delivery; however, the state Capitol, despite increased security, is accepting mail as usual.
“All of the mailrooms have been given guidelines on what to look for,” Debbie Monterrey-Millett, press secretary for the Gov. Scott McCallum said. “Other than that, we haven’t taken any of the radical measures that other states have.”
