A suspected anthrax outbreak has killed some 107 hippopotami at a north-eastern Namibia game park, according to media reports.

Image/Mamba828
Image/Mamba828

The outbreak at Bwabwata National Park in Namibia’s Zambezi region began one week ago when ten hippos died. According to Bwabwata National Park deputy director Apollinaris Kannyinga, “We suspect an anthrax outbreak, but our veterinary is still yet to confirm that.”

This is the first such outbreak in Namibia, Kannyinga notes.

According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax is most common in wild and domestic animals but can also be seen in humans exposed to tissue from infected animals, contaminated animal products or directly to B anthracis spores under certain conditions.

Depending on the route of infection, host factors, and potentially strain-specific factors,anthrax can have several different clinical presentations. In herbivores, anthrax commonly presents as an acute septicemia with a high fatality rate, often accompanied by hemorrhagic lymphadenitis.

LISTEN: Anthrax: An interview with Dr Buddy Faries

B. anthracis spores can remain infective in soil for many years. During this time, they are a potential source of infection for grazing livestock. Grazing animals may become infected when they ingest sufficient quantities of these spores from the soil.In addition to direct transmission, biting flies may mechanically transmit B. anthracis spores from one animal to another.

People can get anthrax by handling contaminated animal or animal products, consuming undercooked meat of infected animals and more recently, intentional release of spores.

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