US authorities are looking for clues in the wake of the death of a Florida man infected with anthrax, in what US Attorney General John Ashcroft said could become "a clear criminal investigation," according to AP.
The FBI on Monday took over the investigation into the anthrax death after the germ was found in the nose of a co-worker and on a computer keyboard in their office. Hundreds of people who worked near the men lined up to get medical tests, said the agency.
"We don't have enough information to know whether this could be related to terrorism or not," Ashcroft said during a news conference in Washington.
The nation's top health official stressed there is no need for alarm, according to CNN.
"People need to understand that our public health system is on heightened alert, so we may have more public reports of what appears to be isolated cases," said Tommy Thompson, secretary of the department of health and human Services, cited by the network. "We will be responding very aggressively. But I want to point out, once again, that this is an isolated case and it's not contagious."
The FBI sealed off the Boca Raton building housing several supermarket tabloids, including The Sun, where the two infected men worked. Agents donned protective gear before going inside, according to AP.
How the bacterial spores got into the newspaper's office remained under investigation. Federal investigators handling the cases have eliminated the obvious environmental sources of anthrax, Barbara Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, was quoted as telling the agency.
Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., said CDC officials told him that "human intervention" was the likely cause of contamination.
Health officials insisted there was no public health threat, but some of the 500 people waited for antibiotics and anthrax tests at the Palm Beach County health agency Monday.
"I feel nervous. I'm worried for everybody," said David Hayes, an editor for the Star tabloid who works in the building. Test results are expected to take days or weeks in some cases.
Anthrax cannot be spread from person to person, but all 300 people who work in the building - and anyone who spent more than an hour inside since Aug. 1 - were advised to visit health officials, according to the agency – Albawaba.com
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