Anthrax facts and symptoms

ANTHRAX FACTS AND SYMPTOMS

* Anthrax is a bacterial disease.

* It occurs sporadically in herbivores, such as cattle, sheep and goats.

* Occasionally a person is infected.

* People can become infected by handling products from infected animals or by breathing in anthrax spores from infected animal products.

* Anthrax spores are infectious for long periods of time. Soil, hair, hides and wool are all possible places for spores to exist.

* Only 11 human cases were reported from 1977 to 2010.

* Direct person-to-person spread of anthrax is extremely unlikely.

* The infected person is usually isolated in hospital as a precaution while they undergo treatment.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ANTHRAX INFECTIONS:

Cutaneous anthrax

* The most common form of anthrax.

* The bacteria enter the body via a cut or graze.

* The skin becomes itchy and then develops a sore that turns into a blister.

* Without treatment, the infection can spread to the lymph nodes or blood.

* Death is rare with the right antibiotic treatment.

Inhalational anthrax

* A lung infection that can occur when bacterial spores are inhaled.

* Symptoms in the beginning are similar to a cold or flu but the person's health rapidly deteriorates over the next few days.

* Without treatment, the mortality rate 100 per cent.

Gastrointestinal anthrax

* This type of anthrax is extremely rare.

* It occurs if a person eats contaminated meat.

* Symptoms include nausea, vomiting blood, diarrhoea and high temperature.

* Fatality rates of 25 to 75 per cent have been reported.

(Source: The Department of Health)