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)