"...Last year, Stevens' co-workers told the FBI that he had opened an envelope for actress Jennifer Lopez that contained a Star of David and some powder -- which co-workers said turned out to be a busted detergent packet. AMI workers said they often received packages for Lopez, a popular actress and singer. ...
Several J.Lo. letters. But note above, story says broken soap package for the Sept. 19 package. Or are they repeating the FBI's explanation to them???
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Palm Beach Post
January 26, 2002
Germ-fighting office out to defend country against anthrax
By SANJAY BHATT, The Palm Beach Post
They're the Green Berets of the germ world. They gather intelligence on invading armies of lethal microbes and then try to force them to retreat. They must be ready to leave their families for far-flung places at a moment's notice.
They're officers of the Epidemic Intelligence Service.
The core mission of these 130 men and women: Isolate the cause of an outbreak, prevent its spread and deal with people who could have been exposed.
The EIS has cracked some famous medical mysteries, such as what caused 34 Legionnaires to die after a 1976 convention and why gay men were dying young in the early 1980s.
Now EIS, which is part of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is on one of the biggest missions in its 50-year history: Defending the homeland against anthrax attacks.
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Today, the program enrolls about 70 officers annually for two-year tours of duty and is more diverse: Medical doctors, dentists, veterinarians, nurses, physician's assistants and those with doctorates in epidemiology, biostatistics or behavioral sciences.
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When Stevens, the Lantana man, was diagnosed with inhalational anthrax, bioterrorism was not readily apparent but, in private, investigators said they strongly suspected it. Once they found at least two co-workers of Stevens had been exposed to anthrax spores, the first bioterrorist anthrax attack in the nation was evident. It has spread to three other states and the nation's capital, infected 22 Americans and left five dead. Working with the FBI, another EIS officer, Dr. Carolyn Greene, 34, interviewed many AMI employees to establish the now prevailing theory that Stevens was exposed before Sept. 20, about a week before he showed anthrax symptoms.
CDC officials say two "very suspicious" letters reportedly arrived at AMI on Sept. 19 CDC's top anthrax expert noted it was the second day of Rosh Hashanah and Sept. 25. [sic, and confusing]
The writer of the suspected Sept. 19 letter asked pop star Jennifer Lopez to marry him. The letter, which was folded into three sections, contained a pink-tinged powder and a tiny gold Star of David, employees recalled in a National Enquirer story.
Greene said there were actually several "J. Lo" letters but declined to elaborate.
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