What
is anthrax?
How common is anthrax and who can get it?
How is anthrax spread?
What are the symptoms of anthrax?
How soon after exposure do symptoms develop?
Can anthrax be spread person to person?
How is it diagnosed?
What is the treatment for illness caused by anthrax?
Is there a way to prevent infection?
Do I need to disinfect myself or my belongings
if I believe I was exposed to anthrax?
What
is anthrax?
Anthrax is a rare infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis.
Anthrax occurs naturally around the world in wild and domestic hoofed animals,
especially cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and antelopes. It can also occur in
humans when they are exposed to the bacterium, usually through handling animals
or animal hides. There are three forms of anthrax infection: cutaneous (skin)
, inhalation (lungs) , and gastrointestinal (stomach and intestine) . If people
have been intentionally exposed, as in a bioterrorist release, contact with
skin would be the most likely route of exposure. Breathing in the spores that
have been spread through the air could cause inhalation anthrax.
How
common is anthrax and who can get it?
Anthrax can be found around the world. It is most common in agricultural regions
where it occurs in animals. It is more common in developing countries or countries
without veterinary public health programs. Anthrax is reported more often in
some regions of the world (South and Central America, Southern and Eastern
Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East) than in others. It
has been extremely rare in the United States in recent decades, and until the
recent cases in Florida, has been limited to the cutaneous (skin) form. When
anthrax affects humans, it is usually due to an occupational exposure to infected
animals or their products. However, anthrax is considered to be one of a number
of potential agents for use in biological terrorism.
How
is anthrax spread?
Anthrax is usually spread in the form of a spore. (A spore is a dormant form
that certain bacteria take when they have no food supply. Spores can grow and
cause disease when better conditions are present, as in the human body.)
Anthrax
is generally spread in one of three ways. Most persons who are exposed
to anthrax become ill within one week:
Skin (cutaneous) - Most anthrax infections occur when people touch
contaminated animal products like wool, bone, hair, and hide. The infection
occurs when the bacteria enters a cut or scratch in the skin.
Inhalation (lung) - Some anthrax infections occur
when people breathe in the spores of the bacteria. However,
the infectious dose for inhalational anthrax is quite
high, and requires exposure to a large number of spores
(8,000-10,000).
Gastrointestinal - Some people may get anthrax
by eating infected meat that has not been properly cooked.
What
are the symptoms of anthrax?
Skin (cutaneous) - This is the most common form of anthrax. . Infection requires
a break in the skin. The first symptoms include itching where the skin has
been exposed. Then, a large boil or sore appears. The sore becomes covered
by a black scab. If not treated, the infection can spread to the lymph nodes
and bloodstream. Inhalation - Inhalation anthrax has been very rare in the
U.S. First symptoms include fever, fatigue, malaise and a cough or chest pain.
High fever, rapid pulse, and severe difficulty breathing follow in 2-5 days.
Inhalation anthrax is often fatal. Gastrointestinal - This form occurs only
after eating infected, undercooked meat. First symptoms include fever; abdominal
pain; loose, watery bowel movements; and vomiting with blood.
How
soon after exposure do symptoms develop?
Symptoms usually develop between one and seven days after exposure but prolonged
periods up to 12 days for cutaneous (skin) anthrax and 60 days for inhalation
anthrax are possible, though rare.
Can
anthrax be spread person to person?
Inhalation (lung) anthrax is not spread from person to person. Even if you
develop symptoms of inhalation anthrax, you are not contagious to other persons.
If you develop cutaneous (skin) anthrax, the drainage from an open sore presents
a low risk of infection to others. The only way cutaneous (skin) anthrax can
be transmitted is by direct contact with the drainage from an open sore. Anthrax
is not spread from person to person by casual contact, sharing office space,
or by coughing and sneezing.
How
is it diagnosed?
Anthrax is diagnosed when the Bacillus anthracis bacterium is found in the
blood, skin lesions, or respiratory secretions by a laboratory culture. It
can also be diagnosed by measuring specific antibodies in the blood of infected
persons. Nose swabs are not a good way to diagnose anthrax.
What
is the treatment for illness caused by anthrax?
There are several antibiotics that are used successfully to treat anthrax.
Treatment is highly effective in cases of cutaneous (skin) anthrax and is effective
in inhalation and gastrointestinal anthrax if begun early in the course of
infection. The United States has a large supply of these antibiotics and can
quickly manufacture more if needed.
s
there a way to prevent infection?
Persons known to be exposed to confirmed anthrax spores will be given antibiotics,
usually ciprofloxacin (Cipro) , or doxycycline, to prevent infection.
Do
I need to disinfect myself or my belongings if I believe I was exposed
to anthrax?
Most threats regarding anthrax have proven to be hoaxes. However, in the event
of a possible exposure to a powder or other unknown substance with a threat
that may indicate anthrax, call 911 and leave the material alone. To prevent
infection if you have a skin exposure to the powder or other substance, wash
your hands vigorously with soap and water, and shower with soap and water if
necessary. Similarly, washing possibly contaminated clothes in the regular
laundry will safely remove any possible anthrax. To be inhaled, anthrax spores
must first be aerosolized (dispersed in the air) which does not usually occur.
In the unlikely event that you do inhale spores, medical evaluation and treatment
is needed, usually after spores are identified.
For More Information
Contact the
Columbia County Department of Health
71 North 3rd Street
Hudson, NY 12534
(518) 828-3358
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Source: New York State
Department of Health Revised: March 2003
