Health alert after anthrax death

A 47-year-old man died on Wednesday after being admitted to the district hospital in Kazygurt village in South Kazakhstan region on Tuesday, Interfax Kazakhstan reported. The man’s family said he had slaughtered cattle on 31 August and fallen ill on 2 September, it quoted the Agency for Emergency Situations as saying. Sanitary epidemiological centre staff were carrying out anti-epidemic measures in the area of the infection, it said. About 30 people had suffered from malignant anthrax in South Kazakhstan this summer, the report added. Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium “Bacillus anthracis”. It most commonly occurs in warm-blooded animals, but can also infect humans. Most infections occur when the bacterium enters a cut or abrasion on the skin, such as when handling contaminated wool, hides, leather or hair products of infected animals, and about 20 percent of such cases will result in death if untreated. The intestinal disease form of anthrax may follow the consumption of contaminated meat and results in death in 25 percent to 60 percent of cases.