Washington officials said on Monday they are investigating causes of the two possible anthrax deaths of workers who had served in the Washington Postal Service.
Officials said two postal workers died in a suburban Washington hospital, but they said they could not conclude so far that the deaths were caused by anthrax.
A second Washington postal worker was diagnosed Monday with inhalation anthrax, and more than 2,000 Washington postal workers were tested Sunday after the first case of inhalation anthrax in the capital was confirmed the same day.
The two dead employees worked at the same mail facility as the two confirmed Washington anthrax patients did, officials said.
It is unclear whether the second anthrax patient is among the nine postal workers who developed flu-like symptoms Sunday.
Meanwhile, Washington officials have asked anyone who was working in a back postal area during the last 11 days to receive prophylactic medication and to be evaluated immediately.
The back postal area is the Brentwood postal facility where the two confirmed anthrax patients and the two dead had worked.
A Postal Service spokeswoman said there are roughly 2,000 employees at the Brentwood postal facility in Washington.
Officials did not provide the names of any of the other affected workers except that of 57-year-old postal worker, Leroy Richmond, the first confirmed anthrax patient in Washington. Richmond is in serious but stable condition.
(Xinhua News Agency 10/23/2001)
