There is panic in Kerala’s Athirappilly forest region where an anthrax outbreak led to the death of wild boars. The bacterial infection caused by the spore-forming bacteria Bacillus anthracis can cause serious illness, even death, in humans if a large number of spores enter the body
There’s an anthrax outbreak in Kerala and it has claimed the lives of some wild boars in the Athirappilly forest region.
“Wild boars have died en masse in the Athirappilly forest area. Subsequently, the Health Department, the Animal Husbandry Department and the Forest Department conducted an investigation. Samples of these were tested to confirm the case of anthrax infection,” said Kerala health minister Veena George.
What is anthrax?
Anthrax is an infectious bacterial disease of animals, caused by the spore-forming bacteria Bacillus anthracis. It occurs naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals around the world.
People can get sick with anthrax if they come in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products. It can cause severe illness in both humans and animals, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), America’s public health agency. However, it is not contagious.
How do animals get infected with anthrax?
Domestic and wild animals can become infected after breathing in or ingesting spores in contaminated soil, plants, or water. These animals can include cattle, sheep, goats, horses, antelope, and deer and as we have seen in Kerala, even wild boar.
Anthrax primarily affects herbivorous animals. In omnivorous and carnivorous animals, it can spread through contaminated meat, bone meals or other feeds. Wild animals can get the disease by feeding on anthrax-infected carcasses, according to the National Health Portal of India, which is set up by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
How do people catch the infection?
According to the CDC, people get infected with anthrax when spores get into the body and get “activated.” The bacteria can then multiply, spread out in the body, produce toxins, and cause severe illness.
This can happen when people breathe in spores, eat food or drink water contaminated with spores, or get spores in a cut or scrape into the skin.
If enough anthrax spores are inhaled into the lungs, they can cause inhalation anthrax, the deadliest form of the disease. But it’s also the hardest form of anthrax to get. It takes a large number of spores – about eight to 10,000 – to cause the illness. When inhaled deeply into the lungs, they can cause a serious problem, according to a CBS News report.
The spores that travel to lymph nodes near the lungs can germinate into live anthrax bacteria, which releases toxins that destroy body cells.
Without treatment to kill the anthrax bacteria, the toxins build up and cause a variety of problems that lead to death. Pneumonia is caused by fluid build-up in the lungs and other serious problems like low blood pressure, meningitis, and organ failure can occur, the report says.
Where is anthrax found?
Anthrax is found in the agricultural regions of central and southwestern Asia, Central and South America, southern and eastern Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean.
In India, it is found in southern India but is less frequent to absent in the northern Indian states. Anthrax cases have been reported from Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Karnataka.
What preventive measures can be taken?
There is a vaccine licensed to prevent anthrax but it is recommended for routine use in certain groups of at-risk adults like some members of the military and laboratory workers. For people who have been exposed to anthrax but do not yet have symptoms, certain antibiotics can be used to prevent the illness, according to the CDC.
What happens in Kerala now?
The Kerala health department, the animal husbandry department, and the forest department investigated the death of wild boars and samples were tested to confirm the anthrax infection.
The government has taken steps to prevent the spread of anthrax. Thirteen people who handled the carcasses are under medical surveillance. A vaccination drive has been started for all domestic animals in Athirappilly panchayat and the public has been asked to report en masse deaths among animals. They were alerted to avoid going near dead animals and to not use meat or milk of the Anthrax-infected animals, reports The Hindu.
“Preventive measures have been intensified. There is less chance to spread the disease from animals to human beings. So far cases of infection have not been reported in domestic animals or cattle,” said Thrissur Collector Haritha V Kumar.
Have there been human casualties in India?
The tribal-dominated areas of Jharkhand have seen several outbreaks of anthrax since 2014, leaving more than 10 people dead. In October 2016, 13 people were hospitalised in an outbreak caused by infected cattle.
Odisha’s Koraput district has accounted for 300 human anthrax cases and 10 deaths in the last seven years.
Why is anthrax considered deadly?
Anthrax can be used as a weapon of bio-terror. In case of a bio-terrorist attack, Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, would be one of the biological agents most likely to be used. Biological agents are germs that can sicken or kill people, livestock, or crops, says the CDC.
Anthrax has been used as a weapon around the world for nearly a century. In 2001, powdered anthrax spores were deliberately put into letters that were mailed through the US postal system. Twenty-two people, including 12 mail handlers, got anthrax, and five of these 22 people died.
In April and May 1979, an unusual anthrax epidemic occurred in Sverdlovsk, USSR, which resulted in more than 60 deaths. Soviet officials attributed it to the consumption of contaminated meat. According to US officials, the casualties occurred because of the inhalation of spores accidentally released at a military microbiology facility in the city.
With inputs from agencies
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