Warning of increased anthrax outbreak due to eating sick and dead buffalo and cows

SGGP June 5, 2023 11:07

On June 4, the Ministry of Health said it had reported to the Government on the prevention of anthrax in humans.

The Ministry of Health said that anthrax is a dangerous acute infectious disease of warm-blooded animals (livestock, wild animals) that can be transmitted from animals to humans through contact, slaughter, and eating livestock; especially buffalo, cows, and horses that die of the disease or come into contact with the environment or soil containing anthrax bacteria. People with the disease mainly have skin disease, are usually benign, and rarely transmit directly from person to person.

Through infectious disease surveillance, in Tua Chua district, Dien Bien province, 3 outbreaks of cutaneous anthrax were recorded with 13 infected people and all cases are being monitored and treated at medical facilities, there have been no deaths. Investigation and testing have discovered anthrax bacteria in meat samples of dead sick buffaloes and cows and soil samples collected from households that slaughtered dead sick buffaloes and cows.

The Ministry of Health stated that the newly recorded human anthrax cases in Tua Chua district were all in areas where anthrax outbreaks had occurred in the past. These cases were related to the slaughter and consumption of buffalo and cow meat that died of anthrax. Currently, 119 people related to the outbreak (people who participated in the slaughter and consumption of buffalo and cow meat that died) have been listed, their health monitored, and their health is currently stable.

According to the Ministry of Health, in Vietnam, anthrax is commonly found in the northern mountainous provinces, including Dien Bien, Son La, Lai Chau, Cao Bang, Thai Nguyen, Ha Giang, and there are still some sporadic cases of anthrax in humans. On average, during the period 2016-2022, the country recorded 7 cases/year and no deaths. Therefore, compared to the average number of cases in the past 5 years, anthrax is currently showing signs of increasing in the northern mountainous region.

The main cause is that pathogens persist for a long time in the environment, leading to the risk of continued spread to livestock and thereby increasing the risk of transmission to humans; people's awareness of disease prevention measures and food hygiene and safety is not high.

The Ministry of Health has directed the Department of Health of Dien Bien province and the northern mountainous provinces with previous anthrax outbreaks to strengthen epidemic prevention work in the coming time.

Source