Anthrax

In News 

After finding several carcasses of wild boar, Kerala health officials confirmed the presence of anthrax

What is Anthrax?

• Anthrax, also known as malignant pustule or woolsorter’s disease.
• It is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis.
•  It occurs naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals around the world. 
• Transmission 
  • It is a zoonotic disease, meaning that it is naturally transmissible from animals (usually vertebrae) to humans. 
  • People can get the disease through contact with infected animals or animal products that are contaminated with bacteria.
  • It  is generally regarded as non-contagious. 
    • There have been instances of person-to-person transmission, however, such instances are extremely rare.
• Occurrence in India
  • It has usually been found in India’s southern states and is less frequently found in the northern states. 
    • Over the past years, it has been reported in Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Orissa and Karnataka.

• Treatment 
  • Antibiotic therapy that is administered early in the course of the infection has been proven to be responsive.
  • Penicillin has long been the antibiotic of choice and in recent years, ciprofloxacin and doxycycline have also been used as alternatives.
  • One way to prevent the disease is by vaccination of livestock so that the disease cannot spread.
    •  There are also vaccines for humans, but their availability is usually restricted to at-risk individuals, such as lab workers and people who handle animals.

Source:IE