Anthrax has been detected in the bodies of two people in Kaunia upazila and one person in Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur. The district Civil Surgeon, Dr. Shaheen Sultana, confirmed the information on Wednesday night (October 1).
Earlier, eight people in Pirgacha upazila were found to be infected with anthrax. With this, a total of 11 anthrax patients have been identified in the district so far.
According to sources at the Civil Surgeon’s office, on September 15, a cow owned by farmer Ibrahim Mia in Amaipur village of Imadpur Union, Mithapukur upazila, fell sick. After it was slaughtered, locals cut the meat. Two days later, several people, including Sohrab Hossain, Abdur Razzak, Monir Hossain, and Mojibur Rahman, developed skin infections. Samples collected from their bodies were sent to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) for testing, and one patient was confirmed to have anthrax. In addition, anthrax has now been detected in two more people in Kaunia upazila.
Earlier, in early August, a series of sudden cattle deaths were reported in Pirgacha, prompting health and livestock authorities to take action. A team from IEDCR visited Pirgacha on September 13 and 14 to collect samples from 12 people, eight of whom tested positive for anthrax. Later, samples from eight more people were collected and sent to IEDCR for testing.
Doctors said humans contract anthrax when they come into contact with the saliva, blood, meat, bones, or internal organs of infected livestock. The disease spreads from animals to humans but not from human to human. The main symptom in humans is the formation of sores on the skin.