Know More About Anthrax Disease

Anthrax is a disease caused by bacterial infection. The name of the bacteria is bacillus anthracis. It lives in an inactive form known as spores. It lives in soil for a long time and can be transferred by the skin or wool of the animals, e.g., cows, sheep or goats. Human can be affected to anthrax by three ways: cutaneous anthrax (through the skin), Gastrointestinal anthrax (by ingestion) and pulmonary (by inhalation).

·        Cutaneous Anthrax: It affects the body through cuts or sores. First it forms the skin red lesion that becomes larger and black in color for week’s time. Around 80 to 90 percent of cases are affects with spontaneous healing 10 to 20 percent of cases develops massive bacterial infection, high fever and rapid death.

·        Gastrointestinal Anthrax: It will be affected through infected animal which is under cooked  The symptoms are fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea and can lead to death.

·        Inhalation Anthrax: This is most dangerous incurable anthrax. It is developed due to inhalation of anthrax spores. Inhalation anthrax spores for one or three days, there will suffer with headache, fever, muscle aches, breathing shortness, cough, low blood pressure respiratory failure and may cause death within 24 hours.

Causes of anthrax:

The anthrax is occurred due to bacteria called bacillus anthracis. The people affect to anthrax if there are exposed to spores. This bacteria looks like large rods under microscope. Anthrax exists in the soil or other places in the form of dormant called spores. These spores will be hard and difficult to destroy. This spore stays in the soil for 48 years long. It enters the body through the skin injury. It is not transferred from person to person (not contagious).

How I can keep casing from anthrax?

Naturally getting anthrax at lower risk:

·        Should avoid meat which is not properly cooked and slaughtered.

·        Raw animals hides should be avoided especially goats, sheep’s, cow’s skin or fur.

    Getting anthrax at lower risk, if terrorists release spores on purpose.

·        If you feel that you are exposed to a substance which is contained anthrax spores. Need to wash the whole body and hair thoroughly with soap and wash your clothes, in case if you may not wash your clothes, keep the clothes in a plastic bag and keep the bag separately from other things.

Treating anthrax disease:

Anthrax disease treatment is based on the type of the anthrax. Cutaneous anthrax is treated with antibiotics easily, but the inhalation anthrax cannot be treated with antibiotics. If a person exposed to infection but cannot find the symptoms, doctors may prescribe some preventing antibiotic depending on the infection affected. There is a licensed anthrax vaccine for adults who are between 18 to 65 and no licensed vaccine for children. It is not recommended for pregnant women. If it is not treated quickly, anthrax bacteria of lethal toxin will multiply in the body and quickly kills. First the vaccination is developed for the people who handle animals and animal by-products. It has shown 90 percent effective for skin anthrax. The vaccine is of five shots are given. Without full series it is fully protected for each individual. Emergent bio-solutions has manufactured biothrax anthrax vaccine, it is mainly given for adult military persons. Reactions of vaccine involves autoimmune and brain dysfunction. It also includes permanent memory loss, paralysis, weakness of muscle and even death. A mild reaction of vaccine local swelling, pain, area of injected site becomes red, fever, nausea.

So be aware of anthrax disease. The knowledge of anthrax may help the people behind if you can teach them and can be treated easily.