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Two Britons have anthrax

Wayne Veysey,Pa News
Friday 19 October 2001 00:00 BST
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Two Britons are among the seven confirmed cases of anthrax in the United States.

Journnalist David Wright, 62 is the seventh victim of the anthrax terror campaign. He works at the same Florida newspaper where his friend Bob Stevens died from anthrax.

Mr Wright's revelation comes a day after fellow Briton Claire Fletcher, 27, was diagnosed with the disease. She developed a swelling on her face that she first thought was a reaction to an insect bite.

Her father Bernard, a 60–year–old retired scientist from Sheffield, believes she may have been infected while opening hundreds of letters for her boss, Dan Rathernews, anchor of CBS.

Ms Fletcher is based in New York, where Erin O'Connor, 38, and the seven–month–old son of an ABC producer have also been diagnosed with anthrax.

Ms O'Connor contracted the infection from a letter containing the spores, and a similar letter sent to Tom Daschle, leader of the majority Democrats in the Senate in Washington, exposed 31 people to anthrax, though none have developed the disease.

The fear of anthrax spread as a postal worker in New Jersey, where the two letters were sent from, was also confirmed as suffering from the disease.

The infection has already killed British–born journalist Bob Stevens, 63, a picture editor at the Sun news magazine, part of American Media Incorporated in Boca Raton, Florida.

A worker in the company's mailroom, 73–year–old Ernesto Blanco, is in hospital with anthrax.

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