NEW YORK (Feb. 23) - A dance troupe leader who makes drums with animal hides was in a Pennsylvania hospital after apparently being exposed to anthrax spores, prompting officials in both states to reassure residents that it was a rare accident unrelated to terrorism.
"We have every reason to believe that this infection is an isolated, accidentally and naturally transmitted case," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday during a news conference from City Hall.
The drum maker, Vado Diomande, traveled in December to Ivory Coast in West Africa and became ill shortly after he returned, officials said.
Teams of federal and city officials searched the man's workspace in Brooklyn and his Manhattan apartment and said there was no evidence that anthrax was produced in either location. There also was no evidence of any criminal intent or terrorist connection, the mayor said.
Several other people, including a family member of the infected man, also may have been exposed and are being treated with antibiotics, city Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said.
Diomande, 44, was diagnosed with respiratory anthrax, which can be fatal, but Frieden said he was breathing on his own and appeared to be "doing better than people with respiratory anthrax usually do."
Diomande was in stable condition early Thursday at a Pennsylvania hospital. He had collapsed after performing last week with his dance company, Kotchegna, at the Steadman Theatre in Mansfield, Pa., according to Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Calvin B. Johnson.
Anthrax spores are found in soil in many parts of the world, and livestock become infected from consuming contaminated soil or feed. People then can become infected if they come into contact with the contaminated hides or other parts.
Dr. Lisa Rotz, a medical epidemiologist with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said health officials believe Diomande may have inhaled the spores in a process that includes soaking the hides, stretching them and scraping them to remove hair. She said investigators are seeking samples of the hides to test them for spores.
The nation was on high alert weeks after the 2001 terrorist attacks when anthrax-laced letters popped up in several places, including New York City. Five people died across the country and 17 were sickened. Investigators never determined who was responsible.
Contracting inhalation anthrax from natural sources is rare. The last U.S. case not linked to terrorism occurred in 1976. The victim made wool rugs as a hobby, Rotz said.
At the Pennsylvania university where Diomande performed last Thursday with a dance troupe, students were informed about the anthrax case but were assured they were not in danger. About 100 people attended the performance, according to Terri Day, a university spokesman.
Diomande has been a dancer and drummer since he was a child, according to a Web site for his dance troupe. When he was a teenager he danced with the National Ballet of the Ivory Coast, and toured all over the world. He founded his own dance company in 1989, the web site said.
Student Josh Wolf, who helped Diomande's troupe unload equipment into the theater before last week's show, said he didn't notice any fatigue or any other unusual physical signs with the dancers.
Authorities spent Wednesday afternoon inside the Brooklyn warehouse where Diomande worked, an eight-floor building that houses several small businesses and artists' studios.
The episode caused some apprehension among people who worked there. Lincoln Mayne, 34, a fashion and art designer, said the discovery of anthrax in the warehouse was "surreal."
"People are apprehensive. Nobody is telling us anything," he said.
"We have every reason to believe that this infection is an isolated, accidentally and naturally transmitted case," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday during a news conference from City Hall.
The drum maker, Vado Diomande, traveled in December to Ivory Coast in West Africa and became ill shortly after he returned, officials said.
Teams of federal and city officials searched the man's workspace in Brooklyn and his Manhattan apartment and said there was no evidence that anthrax was produced in either location. There also was no evidence of any criminal intent or terrorist connection, the mayor said.
Several other people, including a family member of the infected man, also may have been exposed and are being treated with antibiotics, city Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said.
Diomande, 44, was diagnosed with respiratory anthrax, which can be fatal, but Frieden said he was breathing on his own and appeared to be "doing better than people with respiratory anthrax usually do."
Diomande was in stable condition early Thursday at a Pennsylvania hospital. He had collapsed after performing last week with his dance company, Kotchegna, at the Steadman Theatre in Mansfield, Pa., according to Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Calvin B. Johnson.
Anthrax spores are found in soil in many parts of the world, and livestock become infected from consuming contaminated soil or feed. People then can become infected if they come into contact with the contaminated hides or other parts.
Dr. Lisa Rotz, a medical epidemiologist with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said health officials believe Diomande may have inhaled the spores in a process that includes soaking the hides, stretching them and scraping them to remove hair. She said investigators are seeking samples of the hides to test them for spores.
The nation was on high alert weeks after the 2001 terrorist attacks when anthrax-laced letters popped up in several places, including New York City. Five people died across the country and 17 were sickened. Investigators never determined who was responsible.
Contracting inhalation anthrax from natural sources is rare. The last U.S. case not linked to terrorism occurred in 1976. The victim made wool rugs as a hobby, Rotz said.
At the Pennsylvania university where Diomande performed last Thursday with a dance troupe, students were informed about the anthrax case but were assured they were not in danger. About 100 people attended the performance, according to Terri Day, a university spokesman.
Diomande has been a dancer and drummer since he was a child, according to a Web site for his dance troupe. When he was a teenager he danced with the National Ballet of the Ivory Coast, and toured all over the world. He founded his own dance company in 1989, the web site said.
Student Josh Wolf, who helped Diomande's troupe unload equipment into the theater before last week's show, said he didn't notice any fatigue or any other unusual physical signs with the dancers.
Authorities spent Wednesday afternoon inside the Brooklyn warehouse where Diomande worked, an eight-floor building that houses several small businesses and artists' studios.
The episode caused some apprehension among people who worked there. Lincoln Mayne, 34, a fashion and art designer, said the discovery of anthrax in the warehouse was "surreal."
"People are apprehensive. Nobody is telling us anything," he said.
