Voice of America is among federal employers that has had to cope with frightened workers and mail delays and forced to create an emergency plan to stay on the air after health officials found signs of anthrax spores in its mailroom.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Oct. 29 that one out of five samples taken from the mailroom of the Cohen building, which houses the offices of the Department of Health and Human Services and the broadcast studios, newsroom and offices of the VOA, showed presumptively positive results for anthrax.
Following the findings, VOA shut down its mailroom, said VOA spokeswoman Tish King. At that time, mail was not being delivered because the facility in Washington where VOA mail is processed had been closed for more than a week.
King said the amount of anthrax found in the mailroom was small and the CDC indicated that no further testing in other locations in the building would be warranted.
King said broadcasts were proceeding as normal, including the expanded broadcasts VOA has been doing on the war.
No Mail for VOA
No Mail for VOA