By Howard Riedel
Niagara Falls, NY – Doctors at the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center are trying to determine if a Niagara Falls woman has cutaneous anthrax.
The 38-year-old woman went to the emergency room Saturday night with a lesion on her hand that bears some resemblance to the less severe, skin-based form of anthrax. She handles mail order returns for a clothing store at Summit Park Mall, Newport News outlet.
Field tests by a hazmat team at the store showed nothing suspicious in some of the powders found in various packages. Lab tests of samples from the store and cultures from the woman’s hand will be done over the next three days.
In the meantime, the woman has been put on antibiotics even though health officials doubt she has cutaneous anthrax.
The Newport News outlet, closed voluntarily Sunday, though the rest of the Summit Park Mall remained open.