Lansing - Despite recent anthrax scares, most postal workers are alert, cautious and eager to deliver and process mail, a U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman said.
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, joined the mail sorting process Monday at the U.S. Post Office in Lansing to encourage workers that mail is safe in the wake of mail-bound anthrax attacks.
“The majority of postal workers just want to get out there and do their jobs,” said Susan Pfeifer, a postal spokeswoman for the Greater Michigan District. “They see communication that unites every customer and the postal service as their job, and they want to do it.”
Rogers spent more than two hours learning to sort mail. Then he met with postal workers to talk about concerns and actions being taken by the federal government to protect the postal workers.
“I’m here today to tell the postal workers that it is safe to be here and the threat of anthrax is just about nonexistent here,” he said. “This is a brave bunch of people here who are eager to keep going.
“They understand how important this is to America. They are standing up everyday, going to work and keeping their heads held high.”
Since the first cases of anthrax were reported, the Lansing Fire Department has regularly received calls about potential cases of anthrax. But Lansing fire Lt. John Dyer said visits from national leaders serve to calm those who are most nervous.
Dyer said calls regarding anthrax concerns have tapered off recently, but the department still responds to about one call per day on average.
“The first few days were quite high,” he said. “They’ve started to taper off daily.
“They are usually more a matter of nerves than what would even look suspicious in any other time,” he said. “Two months ago they would have walked past it and wouldn’t have thought about it.”
Robert Brubaker, a microbiology and molecular genetics professor, said leaders are succeeding in educating people about anthrax.
“We are doing a fine job,” he said. “We are getting a little more sophisticated in monitoring and there is better testing.”
He said people shouldn’t panic, but should continue to use common sense in opening mail.
Brubaker said officials should consider implementing a long-term strategy in the event anthrax attacks become wider spread. This would include immunizing all citizens against anthrax, small pox and even plague.
“We shouldn’t assume that this is just a one-time deal,” he said. “We have the potential to protect our population against all these diseases.”
