What is anthrax?

Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, and herbivores such as cattle, sheep, camels and mules are the main sources of infection. However, when people come into direct or indirect contact with the skin, hair and meat of sick animals and infected bacteria, they will also be infected with anthrax.

affected area

Anthrax mostly occurs in agricultural and animal husbandry areas, including Latin America, southern Europe, eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle East. People infected with anthrax are mainly caused by occupational contact with sick animals or infected products. Workers in slaughtering, meat processing and fur processing industries may be infected with anthrax type B, also known as industrial anthrax.

Transmission routing

There are three main types of anthrax: skin anthrax, lung anthrax and intestinal anthrax. Bacillus anthracis spores can survive in soil for many years. People may also be infected with anthrax if they come into contact with sick animals or absorb anthrax spores from infected animal products. Of course, if you eat undercooked sick animal meat, you will also be infected with anthrax.

clinical picture

Skin anthrax: At first, it appears as a small blister similar to a mosquito bite, but after a day or two, it will become herpes-like, and then it will collapse into an ulcer, usually with a diameter of 1-3 cm, with a black necrotic area in the middle and swollen lymph nodes around it. Among patients with cutaneous anthrax who have not received any treatment, the mortality rate is about 20%. If treated in time, almost no death will occur.

Pulmonary anthrax: the main symptoms are similar to colds. A few days after the symptoms appeared, the patient developed serious respiratory problems and a stroke. Pulmonary anthrax usually kills people.

Intestinal anthrax: mainly caused by eating meat with bacteria, characterized by acute intestinal infection. The main symptoms are nausea, anorexia, vomiting and fever. In severe cases, abdominal pain, vomiting blood and severe watery stool will occur. The death caused by intestinal anthrax accounts for 25%-60% of patients.

How to prevent it

In areas where anthrax is relatively easy to occur and the level of animal vaccination is low, people should try to avoid contact with livestock and animal products and eat less meat that has not been properly treated or cooked. People can also be vaccinated with anthrax vaccine for human use, which is said to be 93% effective against various anthrax infections.