Bangladesh - Human Anthrax Infections Reach 600+ Cases

[Gert van der Hoek]

35 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Star Online Report

At least 35 people have fallen sick after being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef in Shahajadpur upazila in Sirajganj.

The people were affected after they came into contact with beef. Some of the victims might have eaten the contaminated beef, District Health Department said.

A medical team from Sirajganj civil surgeon's office visited the area on Thursday, reports the daily Prothom Alo.

A government source said on Thursday a medical team has already been dispatched from Dhaka to assess the situation. They will also give treatment to the affected persons, he added.

Local sources said two sick cattle were slaughtered at Chithulia village on July 27 and the beef was sold among the villagers at cheap rate.

The affected villagers went to the local upazila health complex from where the civil surgeon's office raised the alarm.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Bangladesh - 35 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 35 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=151734

One week needed to confirm anthrax
39 infected
Our Correspondent, Sirajganj

The laboratory tests will take one week to confirm whether anthrax has invaded Shahzadpur upazila in Sirajganj, said the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) yesterday.

On Friday, two 10-member teams of experts visited the area and collected blood samples from the people who were complaining of blisters and lesions after having the meat and processing the hides of the sick cows slaughtered in the area a few days ago.

Meanwhile, another patient suffering the same symptoms had been identified in Barabil village of the upazila yesterday. This took the official number of infected people to 39.

Motaleb, 32, is a worker of a tannery unit. He had probably handled the hides of the infected cows.

Shahzadpur district administration in a meeting yesterday decided to immediately bury the contaminated hides.

Meanwhile, based on the symptoms the civil surgeons of the area have started administering anthrax antibiotics to the patients from Friday.

"The outbreak in Sirajganj is the 8th incident in the country in one year. Earlier the disease was diagnosed in Pabna, Dhaka and other areas and 99 people were found infected," IEDCR Director Mahmudur Rahman told The Daily Star.

"But there is nothing to worry as the disease is curable and the treatment is available in the country. Anthrax does not spread directly from one infected animal or person to another," he added.

The first anthrax outbreak in the country was detected in 2004. Since then people across the country have been infected with the disease almost every year.

According to the Wikipedia, anthrax is a disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. It commonly infects wild and domesticated herbivorous mammals. Consuming and processing the meat of infected animals may infect the carnivores.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Bangladesh - 115 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 115 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Anthrax epidemic feared in Sirajganj: 115 attacked

Selim Reza, Sirajganj

At least 74 more people have been detected to have anthrax in three upazilas in Sirajganj and Pabna districts yesterday increasing the number of patients to 115.

Fifty five persons were identified with the anthrax in two villages-Dhopakandi and Adachaki Uttarpara village under Kamarkhund and Beluchi upazilas in Sirajganj district respectively while 19 were detected at Boro Pathalia village under Sathia upazila in Pabna district yesterday.

The disease was first detected on Thursday among 26 residents of a village in Sirajganj. Later 15 more patients were detected to have been infected with the disease on Friday and Saturday.

A seven-member medical team is working in the affected villages of Kamarkhund and Beluchi upazilas.

Physicians have been advising people not to be panicked from the disease as it is treatable.

Physicians and experts of the epidemiology, disease controls research and International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (ICDDRB) collected blood samples of 28 patients on last Friday and Saturday from Shahzadpur area, the sample was sent to Dhaka for Lab testing.

Confirming the number of anthrax patients, Sirajganj Civil Surgeon Dr Nurul Islam Talukder said It is assumed that those who have contracted anthrax had come in close contact with those animals or consumed their meat.

Sirajganj civil surgeon Nurul Islam Talukder said they have been given necessary treatment.

Those people got sick after consuming beef and coming in close contact with diseased cows, he said. The common symptoms of anthrax patients are swollen bodies and severe pain; plus they develop lesions on their bodies.

- snip -

Civil Surgeon Office in Pabna told reporters at least 19 residents of Boro Pathalia village under Sathia sub-district were identified yesterday.

Earlier in August last year, at least 35 people of Soto Pathalia village under the same sub-district were infected with anthrax.

Pabna civil surgeon Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman yesterday told reporters that 19 of Boro Pathalia village were infected with the disease after consuming meat of an ill cow of one local farmer Akram Hossain on Aug 16.

He said specimens of 15 of the infected were collected and sent to Dhaka for examination.

Meanwhile, expert teams from the Dhaka's Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) and International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) reached the northern district on Thursday and jointly started to treat the infected people the following day.

The teams collected different specimens including blood from the patients, the mud of the barns of the infected cows and their bones, and sent to Dhaka on Friday.

Subodh Kumar Kundu, chief scientific officer of IEDCR and the team leader, had told reporters that there was no possibility of an epidemic.

http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2010/08/23/news0218.htm

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Bangladesh - 162 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 162 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ha6KEMjFjmTRHlEUKtb84XYCoVAA

Bangladesh battling anthrax outbreak: health ministry

(AFP)

DHAKA ? Health officials are struggling to contain a major outbreak of anthrax in northern Bangladesh, with at least 52 new infections registered in the past week, the health ministry said Monday.

At least 162 people have been infected with the bacteria in nine separate outbreaks in less than a year, but no one has died so far, Mahmudur Rahman, a health ministry director, told AFP.

Most of the cases have been in the rural cattle-rearing region of northern Bangladesh...

 

[tetano]

Re: Bangladesh - 162 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 162 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

12 more Anthrax cases detected in Sirajganj, Pabna


Twelve more Anthrax affected people had been detected in Sirajganj and Pabna districts yesterday raising the number of affected to138.

Of the affected, ten were in Sirajganj district while the rest two in Pabna district, Civil Surgeon office sources said.

The affected are: Sabina Khatun (25) of Barakandi village, Ashamoni (13) and Salma Khatun (10) of Adachaki village, Hassan Ali (20), Hossain Ali (22), Jahedul Islam (20), Masud Rana (11), Azizal Huq (22), Maznu Mian (45) and Sharifa Khatun (24) of Goynakandi village in Belkuchi upazila of Sirajganj district. On the other hand, Shariful Islam (40) of Chhoto Patharia village and Swapna (35) of Boro Patharia village were from Sathia upazila of Pabna district.

A four-member team from Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh led by Prof. Dr. Md. Abu Hadi Nur Ali Khan reached the affected areas and collected different samples from the affected people and slaughtered animals for lab test. Besides, another team from Institute of Epidemiological Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) consisted of ten members led by its director Dr. Mahmudur Rahman went to the same areas on a similar mission.

However, fear over Anthrax infection is rising among the residents in the areas, as there is no improvement of the disease so far after deploying several medical teams in the areas.

Meanwhile, administration of both the districts have started campaigning to make the people aware of Anthrax infection and formed several monitoring teams to supervise the markets so that none get any chance to slaughter sick animals. They also directed the monitoring teams to ensure the slaughtering of animals in a hygienic and healthy environment.

While visiting different markets in the areas this correspondent observed that, many slaughtering shops were vacant and many were closed in fear of monitoring teams' visit. Besides, the number of slaughtering started reducing as the buyers meanwhile started to avoid beef following the appearance of Anthrax bacteria.

Sirajganj District Livestock Office sources said a total of 19 animals including cows and goats died in the last two weeks due to lack of vaccination. The owners of the animals denied pushing vaccines to their animals without permission of the doctors of Milk Vita as they were the members of some associations, backed by the greater milk producing organisation.

Meanwhile, the officials have claimed that about 40,000 cattle out of 1,119,276 have been brought under vaccination in the last two weeks. They added that about 50,000 new and live vaccines were now in their stock for supplying.

While talking to the leaders of different supervision teams they told The New Nation that they were being surprised by finding heavy presence of the bacteria in the cattle sector. However, they expressed hope to control the situation as soon as possible as the disease did not break out from human beings.


http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2010/08/25/news0443.htm

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Bangladesh - 162 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 162 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

<TABLE dir=ltr border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=468><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 6px; PADDING-TOP: 10px" class=gulfBodyTitles align=left>Bangladesh vaccinating cows to contain anthrax outbreak

</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-LEFT: 6px; PADDING-RIGHT: 5px" class=gulfBodyTxt align=left>AFP/Dhaka<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1lace></st1:country-region> has launched a vaccination drive in its northern dairy farming region to contain an outbreak of anthrax that has affected more than 100 people this week, an official said yesterday.<o></o>
Another 62 infections have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking this week?s toll to 114, Mahmudur Rahman, a health ministry director, told AFP. No one has died.<o></o>
?We have sent medical teams to all anthrax-affected areas. The livestock department has also launched a major vaccination drive in the region,? he said.<o></o>
Anthrax is a potentially lethal bacterium that exists naturally in the soil and commonly infects livestock which ingest or inhale its spores while grazing. It can be transmitted to humans who handle or eat infected animals.<o></o>
Anthrax does not spread directly from one infected human or animal to another but is spread through spores.<o></o>
Anthrax spores can be produced in vitro and have been used in biological warfare. Weaponised anthrax has not been part of Western countries? military stockpiles for decades but has been used in bio-terrorist attacks.<o></o>
Bangladesh?s current outbreak - one of nine this year - has spread in the dairy farming districts of Sirajganj and Pabna due to diseased cows being slaughtered and then sold on, Rahman said.<o></o>
All of the current cases in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1lace></st1:country-region> are cutaneous - or skin - anthrax, which can cause wound-like lesions, he said.<o></o>
?The farmers were not aware of anthrax. They slaughtered sick cows without knowing that it could transmit the disease to humans,? he said.<o></o>
Along with the vaccination drive, local authorities have launched an awareness-raising campaign in the region, urging farmers not to kill infected animals and sell the meat.:tiphat:http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topi...=381909&version=1&template_id=44&parent_id=24<o></o>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Bangladesh - 162 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 162 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

<TABLE id=apex_layout_271110100662109808 class=formlayout border=0 summary=""><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap align=left>24-AUG-2010</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Subject</TD><TD noWrap align=left>PRO/AH/EDR> Anthrax, human, bovine - Bangladesh (04): (SR) susp.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

ANTHRAX, HUMAN, BOVINE - BANGLADESH (04): (SIRAJGANJ) SUSPECTED***************************************************************A ProMED-mail post<http://www.promedmail.org>ProMED-mail is a program of theInternational Society for Infectious Diseases<http://www.isid.org>[1]Date: 22 Aug 2010Source: iStockAnalyst [edited]<http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4429884>Some 88 people infected with anthrax in northwestern Bangladesh---------------------------------------------------------------Some 88 people have been detected with anthrax in 3 villages in Bangladesh's Sirajganj district, 134 km [83.2 miles] northwest of the capital Dhaka, 3 weeks after they consumed beef from sick cows.Civil surgeon of the district Nurul Islam was quoted by the official news agency BSS on Sunday [22 Aug 2010] that 32 people were found in Dhopakandi village of Kamarkhand sub-district and 15 persons at Adachaki village of Belkuchi sub-district of the district. The disease was 1st found at Chithulia of Shahjadpur sub-district and later broke out at Kamarkhand and Belkuchi.The Civil Surgeon said medicines are being distributed free of cost among the infected people since Thursday [19 Aug 2010] and the conditions of 41 persons at Chithulia are improving. Medical teams will be sent to Belkuchi sub-district Monday [23 Aug 2010], he said with apprehension that the number of affected person might rise.Deputy Commissioner of the district Aminul Islam said the infected cattle should be sent to quarantine and given vaccine. He said all cattle in those farms and domestic animals also should be examined and start vaccination without further delay.Shahjadpur, which is known as cattle market, might face huge financial loss due to the spread of the disease. The country's largest milk producing company Milkvita is fully dependent on the milk of the cows of Shahjadpur and other adjoining sub-districts, he said.--Communicated byroMED-mail<promed@promedmail.org>******[2]Date: 23 Aug 2010Source: Xinzhuanet [edited]<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-08/23/c_13457989.htm>Suspected anthrax outbreak in Bangladesh, 112 affected------------------------------------------------------At least 112 people have so far fallen ill with suspected anthrax contracted from consuming meat of ill domestic animals recently in northwestern Bangladesh, health officials said Monday [23 Aug 2010]."Some 89 residents in Sirajganj district, some 134 km [83.2 miles] northwest of capital Dhaka, are suspected to be affected with anthrax after they consumed beef from sick cows recently," Ramiz Uddin Ahmed, program officer of the district's civil surgeon office, told Xinhua Monday. Some 23 additional people in the neighboring Pabna district, some 216 km [134.2 miles] west of capital Dhaka, are also undergoing treatment. KM Ashrafuzzaman, civil surgeon of Pabna, told Xinhua Monday that preliminary tests showed that these people may also have been infected with anthrax.Ahmed said about 4 days ago some residents of a village in Sirajganj came 1st to the hospital with anthrax symptoms. "We sent health officials to the village and found more people having the similar symptoms," he said. All of them are responding to treatments and now recovering, he added.Infected people informed the health officials that they have consumed meat of domestic animals which were slaughtered after they had fallen ill on different occasions in different villages of the districts since the end of the last month, both the officials said. They said health officials including doctors are camping in those villages and treating the patients at their homes. Medicines are being distributed free of cost among the infected people, they added.The officials said blood samples of the patients were sent Sunday [22 Aug 2010] to the country's Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) in capital Dhaka for testing. A senior IEDCR official said, "We've to wait another few days to get result of blood samples testing to confirm whether those people are really infected with anthrax or not."Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by _Bacillus anthracis_. Infection in humans most often involves the skin, the gastrointestinal tract or the lungs. Anthrax commonly affects hoofed animals such as sheep and goats, but humans who come into contact with the infected animals can get sick from anthrax, too.However, Bangladesh's Directorate of Livestock Services said the containment measures are already under way. "Hundreds of livestock in the districts have already been vaccinated," Abdul Bakir, a director of the Livestock Services, said.[Byline: Lin Zhi, Editor]--Communicated byroMED-mail<promed@promedmail.org>[Obviously the Bangladesh officials are discovering that the more you look the more you find. With their team in the field they are meeting a big stream of worried people. What percentage are truly infected is unclear and may never be known. A 3rd report has some 162 people infected in 9 separate outbreaks in less than a year<http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ha6KEMjFjmTRHlEUKtb84XYCoVAA>.What is clear that there were probably more than 2 infected cattle slaughtered and butchered, and not just when we include Pabna. Let us hope that this results in a proper proactive anthrax control and surveillance programme for Bangladeshi livestock. - Mod.MHJ][The interactive HealthMap/ProMED map for Bangladesh is available at: <http://healthmap.org/r/00t_> - CopyEd.EJP]:tiphat:http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,84382</PRE>

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Bangladesh - 162 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 162 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

30 more infected with anthrax in 2 new districts

Star Online Report

At least 30 people have been infected with suspected anthrax in two new districts -- Kushtia and Tangail, the health officials of the district confirmed.

Of them, 16 were found infected in Kushtia while the remaining 14 in Tangail.

The disease was identified in Sirajganj on August 20 and it spread out into its neighbouring district Pabna on August 22.

So far a total of 127 people have been infected with anthrax in Sirajganj and Pabna.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Bangladesh - 162 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 162 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=153277

Thursday, September 2, 2010
Front Page
Anthrax Infection
41 more people await lab test
Star Report

At least 41 people in Kushtia, Tangail and Pabna are feared to have contracted anthrax yesterday.

The health officials of the affected areas said they are yet to confirm the cases and sent blood and skin specimens of suspected anthrax patients to Dhaka for tests.

Of the patients, 16 are from Kushtia while 14 and 11 from Tangail and Pabna.

Meanwhile, records of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) till yesterday morning confirmed 234 infected people across the country.

IEDCR Director Prof Mahmudur Rahman told The Daily Star, "Human anthrax victims have been confirmed in Pabna, Sirajganj, Faridpur, Tangail and Kushtia to this day (Wednesday)."

Besides, livestock department and rapid response teams of health ministry are examining people and cattle in Patuakhali and Jamalpur after getting some suspected anthrax cases, said a senior scientific officer of IEDCR.

The current spate of anthrax outbreak started from Sirajganj on August 20.

Daulatpur Upazila Health Officer Saleh Ahmed yesterday said 16 people are suspected to be infected with anthrax at Dharmadaha village in Kushtia. He said they had collected blood and skin specimens of the patients and sent those to Dhaka for tests, reports our Kushtia correspondent.

Our Tangail correspondent reports: Ghatail upazila medical officer Saiful Malek said that 14 more people might have been infected with anthrax. The patients are undergoing treatment at the upazila health complex.

The disease might have spread after a sick cow had been slaughtered in the area on August 23.

Abdul Latif, the owner of that sick cow, slaughtered the cow with the help of his neighbours. The people who processed the meat and hide and consumed the meat started to suffer from severe pain within 24 hours of the slaughter.

Latif's father Hafiz Uddin said they had bought the cow from Govindasi market in Bhuapur upazila on August 19.

Civil Surgeon Abdul Basit told The Daily Star, ?We have already informed the authorities of IEDCR in Dhaka to come here to ascertain the disease.?

Pabna Deputy Civil Surgeon Dipak Kumar said 11 more people might have been infected with anthrax at Shanila village of Bera upazila in the last two days, reports our Pabna correspondent.

Meanwhile, a mobile court here seized over 100 kg meat of a dead cow and arrested three persons allegedly for trading dead cow in the district headquarters.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Bangladesh - 254 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 254 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-09/02/c_13475497.htm

Anthrax cases among humans in Bangladesh on rise, 33 animals dead
English.news.cn 2010-09-02 17:11:46

DHAKA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- The number of cutaneous anthrax patients keep rising in Bangladesh, with 21 more people found to have contracted the infectious disease on Thursday morning, pushing the total count to 254.

Mahmudur Rahman, chief of Bangladesh's Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) under the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told Xinhua Thursday, the disease has so far spread to four out of the country 's 64 districts.

With 21 new cases detected on Thursday morning, he said, " records of the IEDCR till today (Thursday) morning confirmed 254 infected people."

They are all infected with cutaneous anthrax, Rahman further said...

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Bangladesh - 254 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 254 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

ProMED comment:

[254 human cases and all cutaneous and with no deaths; I am amazed!

There should, from the repeated descriptions, have been large numbers
of gastro-enteric cases of anthrax, anything from 10 to 35 cases per
infected carcass butchered and the meat sold; a puzzle.

The simplest
explanation, other than severe over-cooking, is that the diagnostic
report sheets have only one anthrax item to tick off or code:
"cutaneous anthrax." - Mod.MHJ]

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Bangladesh - 254 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 254 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Source: http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4347280


05/09/2010
Bangladesh issues nationwide anthrax ''red alert''

Anisur Rahman
Dhaka, Sep 5 (PTI) Bangladesh today issued a nationwide ''red alert'' against anthrax as the deadly bacterial infection continues to infect cattle and people by spreading to more areas since it was first detected two weeks ago.

"We have issued the red alert today," Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdul Latif Biswas told reporters.

There are adequate stocks of vaccines and drugs to treat the animals and people infected with anthrax and livestock officials and government doctors across the country have been asked to enforce a sharp vigil on the situation, he said.

The minister said that committees comprising livestock officers, civil surgeons and chief government doctors have been formed at district levels throughout the country to coordinate a campaign to prevent and treat anthrax infections.

Mahmudur Rahman, Director of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), told PTI that so far 298 people have been detected with Anthrax infection until this morning but none of them were in a critical state yet...

 

[tetano]

Re: Bangladesh - 298 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 298 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef


Anthrax spreads to 6 districts

Anthrax spreads in six districts prompting the government to issue red alert for the livestock department and cancel holidays of the officials concerned to tackle the situation.

Nineteen new cases were reported in Meherpur and Chuadanga yesterday taking the number of anthrax infected people to 327 in last 15 days.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdul Latif Biswas told reporters about the red alert at his ministry yesterday.

Everyone concerned including officials of the livestock department and civil surgeons are asked to remain highly alert so that they can immediately handle anthrax-affected people, if any infection is reported.

"The police and border guards are asked to keep vigil so that no sick cattle can enter the country," said the minister, adding that 5 lakh vaccines for cattle have been sent to the affected areas to prevent new infection.

The red alert was actually issued for the employees of the livestock department, not for the country, elaborated Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Mohammad Shariful Alam.

"The Eid holidays of the employees of the department have been cancelled and the offices would be open round the clock. A control room has also been opened at the Department of Agricultural Extension," he said.

He added doctors of city corporations would go to the slaughterhouses to examine the cattle that would be slaughtered. Besides, awareness campaigns regarding anthrax have been going on across the country.

The secretary also said no new cattle have been infected by anthrax in the last few days. But the people who slaughtered already infected cattle or came into direct contact are getting infected.

The Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) says anthrax infection among people is nothing new in the country. In the last one year 99 anthrax cases in human were confirmed and treated.

The outbreak was first reported in Sirajganj on August 20, in Pabna on August 22, Tangail on August 31, Kushtia on September 1 and Meherpur and Chuadanga on September 4.

Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus Anthracis and the cattle, if infected, suffer from severe fever and die within two to three hours. However, there are effective vaccines against the disease.

If anyone comes into direct contact with the affected cattle they also get affected. It is commonly seen on hands, forearms, head and neck. The lesion is usually single and after one to seven days a raised, itchy, inflamed pimple appears followed by a papule that turns vesicular. But proper treatment with antibiotics can cure it completely in ten days, say experts.

Gangni Upazila Health Officer Dr Zohurul Islam yesterday said 14 people were suspected to have contracted with anthrax in Debipur, Karamdi and Jhorpota villages, reports our Kushtia Correspondent.

Villagers say a sick animal of Saad Ali at Debipur village was slaughtered a few days ago. Some people of the village consumed the meat and were infected, they add.

Alamdanga Upazila Health Officer Dr Liakat Ali said it is suspected that anthrax broke out in Charjadabpur village as a sick goat of villager Abdur Rahim was slaughtered nearly a week ago.

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=153775

 

[tetano]

Re: Bangladesh - 298 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 298 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Officials work to control anthrax outbreak in Bangladesh


(CNN) -- Officials in Bangladesh are working to control an anthrax outbreak that has infected nearly 300 people since its first detection two weeks ago.

The country was put on high alert Sunday as the bacterial disease continued to spread between animals and people, Bangladesh's official news agency reported.

Committees across the country -- made up of livestock officials and medical personnel -- have been formed to spread an awareness campaign to prevent, detect and treat anthrax infections, according to the Sangbad Sangstha national news agency.

The disease was first detected last month in northwestern Sirajganj district, where 38 villagers reportedly became infected after consuming beef from sickened cows, the news agency reported. It then spread to neighboring districts.

..


http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/a...(RSS: Top Stories)#fbid=8RzF9qwEi8W&wom=false

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Bangladesh - 298 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

Re: Bangladesh - 298 fall sick being exposed to anthrax contaminated beef

56 get anthrax in Lalmonirhat


Tue, Sep 7th, 2010

Lalmonirhat, Sep 7 (bdnews24.com) ? Fifty six people have been infected with anthrax at Kisamat Harati village in Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila for the first time, the district civil surgeon has said.

Jahangir Alam Sarkar told bdnews24.com on Tuesday that a five-member medical team led by him has been giving treatments to the patients in the affected area.

"The number of patients might increase," he added.

Sirajul Islam Menhaz, an anthrax patient, said that Bhola Miah, a resident of the village, slaughtered his two ailing cows and sold their meat to the villagers. After that, they were infected with anthrax.

read more

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Bangladesh - Human Anthrax Infections Reach 327 Cases

Re: Bangladesh - Human Anthrax Infections Reach 327 Cases

Human Anthrax Infections Reach 327 Cases In Bangladesh

06 Sep 2010

According to Bangladesh's Fisheries and Livestock Ministry, 327 people have become infected with anthrax in five districts in the north of the country since August 18th.

Some experts believe two other districts may also be affected. So far, approximately 150 cattle have become infected and died.

Local health officials say this is the largest anthrax outbreak in the history of Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi authorities have ordered health officials to seek out all infected cows, which must be culled promptly.

Abdul Latif Biswas, Minister for Fisheries and Livestock, said to the BBC:

`We have issued a red alert and asked livestock officials, civil surgeons and health workers to fan out to detect sick cows and cull them immediately.`

Mr. Biswas added that about half-a-million cattle vaccine ampoules have been distributed to the affected areas.


read more

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Bangladesh - Human Anthrax Infections Reach 400 Cases

Re: Bangladesh - Human Anthrax Infections Reach 400 Cases

September 8, 2010

400 infected by Anthrax, 57 new cases detected


An anthrax outbreak has spread in eight districts of the country and infected almost 400 people so far, health officials said.

The outbreak began a month ago, when 38 villagers in a district grew ill after eating beef from sickly cows. Later it spread to surrounding districts.

Fifty-seven more people infected with suspected anthrax in Lalmonirhat and Satkhira yesterday, raising the number of affected districts to eight, the officials said.

Meanwhile, half a million vaccines are on the way to affected districts in the country. The vaccine doses, enough to contain the outbreak, will treat humans and livestock infected with the bacterial disease.

In addition to the vaccines, Bangladesh is on high alert as health and agriculture officials create an awareness campaign to contain the outbreak. The campaign will help people prevent, recognize and treat anthrax infections.

That none of the 400 people who were infected with anthrax have died or been sickened critically. 13 cows and 17 goats have died and another 217 animals were infected.

read more

 

[alert]

Re: Bangladesh - Human Anthrax Infections Reach 400 Cases

Re: Bangladesh - Human Anthrax Infections Reach 400 Cases

Four hundred "anthrax" infections without a fatality or severe case is extremely odd, hence the ProMED comments questioning whether all the cases really are cutaneous. I don't see any evidence that this illness has been laboratory confirmed as due to Bacillus anthracis. Perhaps some other, milder agent is causing some, if not all, of these cases.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Bangladesh - Human Anthrax Infections Reach 400 Cases

Re: Bangladesh - Human Anthrax Infections Reach 400 Cases

Bangladesh anthrax spreads, public panics

Wednesday, 08 Sep, 2010

DHAKA: Bangladesh has set up anthrax checkpoints at cattle markets as a major outbreak of the disease spreads through the country's dairy belt, infecting more than 400 people, officials said Wednesday.

Eight districts have confirmed human and cattle anthrax infections and meat consumption ahead of the Islamic festival of Eid, set to start Friday, has fallen sharply as panicked consumers turn their back on beef, officials said.

?We're still getting reports of new anthrax infections -- the number of cases could soar,? said Mahmudur Rahman, a director of health ministry. ?In one district 66 people were infected in one day,? he said.

The government this week put livestock and health officials on ?red alert?, suspended all leave in the livestock department and sent emergency veterinarian teams to affected districts.

Officials have described the outbreak as the biggest in the country's history, although there have been no deaths so far.

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[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Bangladesh - Human Anthrax Infections Reach 400 Cases

Re: Bangladesh - Human Anthrax Infections Reach 400 Cases

447 cases of infection found so far

Thursday, September 9, 2010

A total of 447 people in eight districts across the country have been infected with anthrax in the last three weeks, confirmed Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) yesterday.

"Since the disease symptoms are prominent, we are not continuing lab tests. However, we will run tests if a new area is affected," said IEDCR virologist ASM Alamgir.

He said treatment has been made available in all the affected districts and more than half the infected people have already been cured.

This year, Sirajganj district has witnessed the most number of infected, 207, which is likely to be overtaken as the medical team at Lalmonirhat claimed to have found 320 suspected patients at Kisamot Harati village.

Our Lalmonirhat correspondent reports: nine more people have been confirmed to be contracted anthrax at Kisamot Harati yesterday. The total number of infected in the district now stands at 85.

Anthrax infected Motiar Rahman said, "Four sick cows were slaughtered in the village a few days ago and at least 400 villagers consumed the meat as it sold at a lower price, Tk 100 a kg."

Meanwhile, Veterinary Field Assistant Saidur Rahman said four anthrax-infected cows died at Char Kulaghat and Baro Basuriya in Lalmonirhat sadar yesterday.

District livestock officer Abu Hossain Sarkar said officials are vaccinating the infected and suspected-to-be-infected cows in the district. But the office is suffering acute vaccine crisis.

He said there are at least 3.5 lakh cows in the district but the government has sent only 2,700 vaccines.

Meanwhile, two cows yesterday died of anthrax at Tampat village under Rangpur sadar upazila creating panic among the cattle farmers of the area.

Our Thakurgaon correspondent adds: one suspected anthrax infected patient had been admitted to Thakurgaon Sadar hospital yesterday.

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=154233