Envelope tests positive for anthrax spores

An envelope containing white powder that arrived in a Nassau post office has initially tested positive for anthrax spores, which would be the first discovery of anthrax in the post in the Caribbean, officials said.

The envelope was destined for a Bahamas address and had a local stamp, Police Commissioner Paul Farquharson said yesterday. Police would not divulge the recipient nor whether the envelope had a return address.

Lab tests at a Nassau hospital indicated the presence of anthrax spores, said Chief Medical Officer Merceline Dahl-Regis. Officials were waiting for the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm it as anthrax.

None of the 10 employees in the area has shown symptoms of anthrax and nasal swabs on all tested negative. All were on antibiotics as a precaution, she said.

The letter was spotted on Tuesday, when a worker unloading mail noticed the envelope was leaking white powder, police said.

In the United States, nine people have been diagnosed with anthrax, and one of these has died. Most were linked to contaminated letters sent to US media outlets and politicians.

Kenya and Argentina have received anthrax-contaminated letters sent from the United States.

The Bahamas is an archipelago of 700 islands near Florida. Nassau, the capital, is 190 miles east of Miami.