Health officials in Bangladesh are reporting another anthrax outbreak linked to eating and handling tainted meat, according to local media. The latest outbreak is in Rajshahi District in north-western Bangladesh.

Bacillus anthracis bacteria Image/CDC
Bacillus anthracis bacteria
Image/CDC

Twenty people, adults and children, were infected in Makranda village after consuming anthrax infected buffalo. Those infected are being treated at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and other medical facilities.

Hundreds of buffalo and cattle were being vaccinated  against anthrax.

According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracisAnthrax is most common in wild and domestic herbivores (eg, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, antelopes) 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.

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. anthracisspores 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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