Kenya finds anthrax letter

Many countries have been taking precautions

The Government in Kenya says it has confirmed a case of anthrax exposure from a contaminated letter - the first such case outside the United States in the 11 September terror attacks.

We would like to ask all Kenyans not to panic, but to remain calm

Sam Ongeri
Kenyan Health Minister

The Health Minister, Sam Ongeri, said anthrax had been discovered in a letter sent from the United States.

He said the letter had been sent to an ordinary Kenyan citizen, and that four people had been exposed to the spores.

And in New York, a fifth case of infection was found on Thursday - when an employee at CBS television was diagnosed with skin anthrax.

The US House of Representatives in Washington has been shut down until at least Monday after a letter contaminated with anthrax spores was sent to the office of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

Atlanta postmark

Mr Ongeri said that the anthrax letter found in Nairobi had been posted in the US city of Atlanta on 8 September, and routed via Miami.

Ongeri: Government can deal with situation

The letter was received in Nairobi on 9 October and opened on 11 October.

Mr Ongeri said that the people exposed to the letter were "not in danger".

Two other suspect letters are also being tested for anthrax, including one received by the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi on Wednesday.

That letter was posted in Pakistan, while the third letter, addressed to a businessman in the town of Nyeri, appeared to have been posted in Nairobi.

Mr Ongeri said Kenyans should not panic about the discovery.

"The government has the capacity and capability to deal with the situation," he said.

US concerns

Concern about anthrax has been increasing worldwide, with five people now infected with the disease in the United States, one fatally.

Some people have been hurrying to buy anti-anthrax drugs

In Florida one man has died and another is receiving treatment for respiratory anthrax.

US law enforcement officials have said there is no evidence linking the anthrax scares with foreign terrorists.

But a note inside the letter sent to Mr Daschle warned: "You've been exposed to anthrax. You're going to die."

Tests have determined that the anthrax found in the letter was professionally made but was not weapons-grade.

Mounting concern about the US cases has triggered alerts and hoaxes around the world, with the Israeli parliament evacuated along with public buildings in Europe, Africa and New Zealand.