The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all people who have been in the non-public, mail operations area at the U.S. Postal Services Washington DC Processing and Distribution Center at 900 Brentwood Road, NE, Washington DC (US Postal Brentwood Facility) since October 11, 2001, receive prophylactic treatment for potential exposure to anthrax. This facility has been closed. As an added precaution, people who have worked since October 11, 2001, in the non-public, mail operations area at postal facilities that directly receive mail from the Brentwood facility should also receive prophylactic treatment. There are no reported or documented cases of anthrax or contamination in these additional facilities, and CDC recommends they remain open. The U.S. Postal Service, in conjunction with the Health Departments of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, and CDC, is identifying and contacting these facilities.
Visitors at the Brentwood facility who should receive prophylactic treatment are defined as vendors, contractors, and persons who handle mail in the mailroom bulk mail acceptance unit. It is not necessary for customers who entered any U.S. Postal facility to purchase stamps or conduct other postal business to receive prophylactic treatment.
Only the persons described above who are currently located in the metropolitan DC area or surrounding areas of Maryland and Virginia should seek these services from the DC General Hospital, 1900 Massachusetts Avenue from 9:00 A.M. - 10 P.M. Those located outside the metropolitan DC area should seek these services from their state or local health department or private physician. DC General Hospital is accessible by METROrail (Orange and Blue Lines/Armory Stadium Station).
CDCs investigation is ongoing. Future modifications to these recommendations may occur on the basis of new epidemiologic and laboratory information.
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Source: U.S. Government Website |