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Campaign Update  

Anthrax is a disease caused by bacillus anthracis, a large spore-forming bacillus transmitted to humans by contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products. It occurs in herbivorous creatures like cattle, goats, and sheep, pigs, buffalo, elephants, etc. The infected cattle may contaminate not only other animals but also its products and the surrounding environment.

The primary forms of anthrax in humans are cutaneous, inhalation, gastrointestinal. Cases of anthrax are classified generally as either agricultural or industrial. Most of the agricultural cases of human anthrax result from direct contact with contaminated discharges from infected animals, raw or cooked infected meat. Industrial cases usually result from contact with anthrax spores contaminating animal products, such as goat hair, wool, hides, and skin, and animal bones. In cutaneous anthrax, the organism is known to penetrate even intact skin. Once in the subcutaneous tissue, the anthrax spore germinates and multiplies. It is the most common form of the disease in humans, accounting for more than 95 per cent of cases. After an incubation period of one to seven days, the infection manifests generally at the site of an abrasion, which over the next several days develops. The lesion generally occurs on the arms and hands, or on the face, neck, or other areas that are likely to be exposed to the contaminated animal product or infected soil.

Gastrointestinal anthrax is caused by consumption of infected meat, with symptoms like severe vomiting, diarrohea etc.

Diagnosis
A number of serologic tests are available to diagnose anthrax retrospectively, but many of these very ill patients die so quickly that the initial serologic studies may not be especially helpful to the clinician.

Treatment
Penicillin G is the drug of choice for treatment of anthrax. For cutaneous anthrax, intravenous Penicillin G is given for several days, followed by a seven to ten-day course of oral Penicillin G. No local surgery should be performed on these patients, because no pus requiring drainage is usually present and excision of the lesion has been reported to increase the risk of organism spread. The lesion should be covered with a sterile dressing. No definite cases have been reported of spread of anthrax from human to human.

Prevention
Control of anthrax in animals is essential to control of the disease in humans. All cases of anthrax (animal as well as human) should be reported to the state health department. Animals dead of anthrax should be cremated or buried and care must be taken at autopsy to avoid additional environmental contamination.

Vaccination
The US military has decided to vaccinate more than two million members of the armed forces against anthrax in view of the threat of biologic warfare by terrorists. Even wider use of an anthrax vaccine may be necessary in the future. A protective antibody response does not develop until seven days after the second dose of vaccine. The vaccine is well tolerated and has been shown to be highly effective. An annual booster is required to maintain immunity.

Good personal hygiene, as well as the use of protective clothing and respirators may also prove to be helpful preventive measures. Gastrointestinal anthrax can be prevented by proper cooking of meat and by avoiding ingestion of potentially contaminated meat. 

-a matcco presentation