Post offices and mail rooms around the world confronted more suspicious packages today as anthrax infections in the United States spread, deepening fears of reprisals for the US-led air raids on Afghanistan.
The number of people exposed to anthrax rose to 38 in the United States after two more confirmed cases, including one at CBS News in New York, where an assistant to veteran news anchor Dan Rather tested positive for skin anthrax.
But while Washington attempted to reassure an anxious public that everyone at risk was getting treated, fears grew of a broad bio-terrorism attack moving beyond US borders.
Nairobi reported the first confirmed case of exposure to the potentially deadly bacteria outside the United States yesterday, from a contaminated letter received from Atlanta, Georgia. That was followed by a probable case in Argentina.
Buildings in Peru and Fiji were evacuated as suspicious mail was rushed for tests, while a Pakistani man tested negative for anthrax in a scare at the British embassy in Islamabad, the first in the country that has faced violent protests for its support of the US-led war on terrorism and the air strikes on Afghanistan.
So far, six people have been infected, including one who died after inhaling bacteria and four with less dangerous skin infections who are expected to recover after antibiotic treatment.
US Attorney General Mr John Ashcroft said the infections could be a conspiracy but that he could not tie it definitely to those who carried out last month's suicide-hijack attacks.
"We can't say 'yes, this is part of the terrorist network', obviously these are terrorist attacks. We can't rule out that they're associated with the attacks of September 11th", Mr Ashcroft said in an interview on MSNBC.
China was taking no chances as a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders including US President George W. Bush takes place in Shanghai. It banned the sending of any white powdery substances through the mail.
The State Post Bureau issued an urgent circular ordering post office workers to tighten checks of all parcels and letters, the day after Beijing said it was probing two suspicious letters.