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The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently received several
inquiries concerning an e-mail message about people who have been infected
with "Klingerman virus" after opening gift packages delivered to them
in the mail. According to the e-mail message, a number of people became
ill with a viral infection after handling a sponge contained in a package
marked, "A gift for you from the Klingerman Foundation."
The e-mail
is a hoax. There is no "Klingerman virus," and the information in the
e-mail notice is untrue. If you receive an e-mail message about "Klingerman
virus," please do not forward it to others.
Although
the e-mail message is a hoax, if you are concerned about the contents
of a package you receive in the mail, contact your local post office.
It is a criminal offense to send potentially hazardous agents through
the mail for the purpose of deliberately causing harm to human health.
When such an incident occurs, the local emergency response system should
be activated by dialing 911 in most communities; in communities without
911 systems, local law enforcement authorities should be notified. The
local FBI field office and local and state public health authorities also
should be notified.
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