Fayetteville Hotel Employees, Guests Being Tested For Anthrax Exposure

WXII ^ | 11/02/01

[CindyDawg]

If it's the real thing someone is probably in big trouble. "You left the anthrax where?"

[Carolina]

FAYETTEVILLE, NC -- Firefighters and Haz-Mat crews wrapped up their investigation Friday night at the StudioPlus Deluxe Studios, where a sealed container found in one of the hotel's restrooms tested positive for anthrax.

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Haz-Mat teams did an initial test on the container, which was found around 9:30 a.m. by an employee, who then brought it to his manager.

These triple-wrapped cans contain samples of a powdery substance that tested positive for anthrax. The substance was found at a Fayetteville hotel in a sealed container about the size of a soda can.

It is unclear whether the initial test on the substance was negative, or whether it was invalid due to an error. Haz-Mat workers did two more screenings of the substance, though, and both of those field tests came back positive for anthrax.

"The screening for positive is only about 20-30 percent accurate," says Fayetteville public information officer Jason Brady, "but we're not taking any chances."

WRAL Health Team Physician Dr. Allen Mask says the field tests the crews probably used are sensitive, but not specific. The tests will react to lots of different bacteria, and is not designed to respond to any particular strain.

In contrast, the test being done on the material in the state lab is very specific. That test involves a culture. Scientists take the substance, place it in a petrie dish, grow it, and then examine the results. Those results are nearly 100 percent accurate and are expected within 72 hours.

Until those tests results are available, no one can be sure whether the substance was anthrax, so the 20 hotel employees and guests were taken Friday afternoon to the Honeycutt Recreation Center, where they were quarantined for more than three hours and then given four days' worth of Cipro, an antibiotic used to fight anthrax.

The health department also collected their names, phone numbers, and medical histories.

The visitors and workers were returned to the hotel, but will have to get the OK from authorities before they can collect their belongings. They will be put up in a local hotel while StudioPlus remains closed for the weekend, with its ventilation system turned off.

Firefighters in protective suits searched the hotel for evidence, including one of the guest rooms. The room was registered to some people of Middle Eastern descent, and officials are not saying whether those customers were possible targets of an attack or suspects.

The hotel is located near Cross Creek Mall.

Police officers and sniffing dogs searched the cars in the parking lot, as well.

Fayetteville police will be guarding the hotel around-the-clock until the test results come back.

Officials say even if the container did contain anthrax, it is not contagious and there is no cause for Fayetteville residents to panic.

Fayetteville leaders say any residents who have concerns about the incident should call the city's helpline, CareLink, at (910) 609-5465.

Reporter: Melissa Buscher
Photographer: Michael Joyner
Online producer: Julie Moos

Copyright 2001 by WRAL.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[snopercod]

Thanks. There ya' go...it takes a culture and 72 hours to positively identify Anthrax.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Good post, just need to get it on the list!

To find all articles tagged or indexed using

Anthrax_Scare_List

Go here:

Anthrax_Scare_List

[Grassontop]

I'm surprised no one here in West Virginia told about the anthrax scare we had at two schools in Preston County! The first was at Fellowsvilles Elementary School and the second was at Central Preston Middle School where I worked at in Kingwood, WV. They closed the schools down for a few days, but we resumed today! Its a boring job when you are relocated!

I'm definitely not opening my mail! My bill collectors will just have to call me! This anthrax is very disturbing! Grassontop

[DAGO]

Welcome dhfnc.
I was in Fayettville a couple of weeks ago.Bragg is tight.I have many friends in that area and a couple in the Winston area.I am starting to wonder how intrenched they are in our country,and when we as a nation are going to round them up.

[PleaseNoMore]

I am here near Fayetteville, actually closer to McKall. Talk about scary or unnerving. Another point I would like to make is that a large portion of Southeastern NC's mail gets routed thru Fayetteville.

I spoke with my BIL tonight ( he is Army and has just completed his SF training, God Bless him ). He mentioned to me that we should all be very vigilant in our everyday life. He was very "grave", for lack of a better word, without elaborating.

On the same note, I had dinner at my own brother's home tonight and one of his guests was a young Middle Eastern man, he is from Yemen. We had some interesting conversation and he mentioned being very vigilant as well ( not in a threatening manner but as one who knows what kind of people we are up against ). This man was very critical of the recent terrorist activities and had voiced extreme disgust over the topic of bin Laden/Taliban.

He provided some very interesting insight as to the minds of these people. One thing he mentioned was the American children's safety. He is of the opinion that one way to reach us at our core is for these "bastards" ( his own words ) to perpetrate some type of attack on our children. His one word of caution was that we should not underestimate the lengths to which these fanatics will go to bring us to our knees.

[Howlin]

You need to put the NC flag on your profile page so we'll all know you're one of us!

[PleaseNoMore]

How do I do that?? I am HTML stoopid!

[Howlin]

On the Latest Posts page, up in the upper right corner, click on MY LOCALE.......and you can set it right there. Jim has it all set up to put your flag right there!

[PleaseNoMore]

Wow! That was the easiest thing I have done all day! Thanks! I always envied the posters who could do this stuff. :-)

[4TheFlag]

Oh great, Hotels..........

[Howlin]

Now we can see you belong to us when we need NC Freepers! Click on the NC flag and you'll see most of us!

[alethia]

I live in Charlotte. Not good news.

[blackbag]

more info and another NC Bump

Fayetteville Hotel Employees, Guests Given Cipro As Precaution

Container Found At StudioPlus Near Cross Creek Mall Tests Positive For Anthrax

Haz-Mat teams did an initial test on the container, which was found around 9:30 a.m. by an employee, who then brought it to his manager. These triple-wrapped cans contain samples of a powdery substance that tested positive for anthrax. The substance was found at a Fayetteville hotel in a sealed container about the size of a soda can. It is unclear whether the initial test on the substance was negative, or whether it was invalid due to an error. Haz-Mat workers did two more screenings of the substance, though, and both of those field tests came back positive for anthrax.

"The screening for positive is only about 20-30 percent accurate," says Fayetteville public information officer Jason Brady, "but we're not taking any chances."

WRAL Health Team Physician Dr. Allen Mask says the field tests the crews probably used are sensitive, but not specific. The tests will react to lots of different bacteria, and is not designed to respond to any particular strain. Click here to learn more about these tests.

In contrast, the test being done on the material in the state lab is very specific. That test involves a culture. Scientists take the substance, place it in a petrie dish, grow it, and then examine the results. Those results are nearly 100 percent accurate and are expected within 72 hours.

Until those tests results are available, no one can be sure whether the substance was anthrax, so the 20 hotel employees and guests were taken Friday afternoon to the Honeycutt Recreation Center, where they were quarantined for more than three hours and then given four days' worth of Cipro, an antibiotic used to fight anthrax.

The health department also collected their names, phone numbers, and medical histories.

The visitors and workers were returned to the hotel, but will have to get the OK from authorities before they can collect their belongings. They will be put up in a local hotel while StudioPlus remains closed for the weekend, with its ventilation system turned off.

Firefighters in protective suits searched the hotel for evidence, including one of the guest rooms. The room was registered to some people of Middle Eastern descent, and officials are not saying whether those customers were possible targets of an attack or suspects.

The hotel is located near Cross Creek Mall. Police officers and sniffing dogs searched the cars in the parking lot, as well. Fayetteville police will be guarding the hotel around-the-clock until the test results come back.

Officials say even if the container did contain anthrax, it is not contagious and there is no cause for Fayetteville residents to panic.

Reporter: Melissa Buscher

[dread78645]

Oh great, Hotels..........

Not the target IMO. Maybe a resting or recon stop to figure out how to disperse it against the 82nd & Pope AFB (I haven't
been there in years, i'm assumining Pope is still there) dependants.

[Larousse2]

Go, Heels! I am a former Tar Heel, now residing in Atlanta area. Thanks for the tip on setting my location to Georgia. Now, how do I check it??

Thanks!

[Howlin]

When you do a Self Search or Latest Posts, you should see a GA flag in the upper left corner. Click on View Locale; or you can go to My Locale in the Destination dropbox on the right side. See how many GA. people there are!

BTW, my daddy played basketball for N.C. State......ha!

[Larousse2]

Thanks, I found lots of Freepers in Georgia!

Go, Pack!