Eighth case of inhalation anthrax reported

WASHINGTON -- The Centers for Disease Control and prevention confirmed Sunday that a female New Jersey postal worker has inhalation anthrax, the most serious form of the disease that has claimed three lives and prompted thousands to take antibiotics.

CDC spokesman Tom Skinner stressed it was not a new case of the disease but one that had been listed as suspected anthrax. Lab tests confirmed the diagnosis.

At least five New Jersey postal workers have suspected or confirmed cases of anthrax. Anthrax-tainted letters sent to Washington and New York originated there.

The diagnosis came as tests continued at postal and government offices in the nation's capital and elsewhere.