At least 16 people have been clinically diagnosed with anthrax in Hadinagar Kuripara village in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj district, said officials of the Institute of Epidemiology Diseases Control and Research.
Local doctors diagnosed the infectious disease in the patients after examining the symptoms, said IEDCR director Mahmudur Rahman on Saturday.
'The patients are undergoing treatment according to the national treatment guideline of anthrax,' he said.
New Age correspondent in Chapainawabganj reported that four of the anthrax patients were admitted to Shibganj upazila health complex.
The patients are Afzal Hossain, 60, Belal Uddin, 62, Laltu, 30, and Shariful Islam, 40.
Patients said that they fell sick after eating the meat of a cow sold by one Tariqul who had brought it from Rajshahi city on August 7.
Abdul Matin, medical officer of Chapainawabganj civil surgeon's office, said a medical team had been sent to the affected area.
Anthrax commonly infects both wild and domesticated animals which ingest or inhale the bacterium while grazing, physicians said. Diseased animals can then spread it to humans, either by direct contact or through consumption of their meat.
Experts said there three types of disease could be caused by such infection – cutaneous anthrax, inhalation anthrax and gastrointestinal anthrax.
They said the patients of cutaneous anthrax or skin anthrax complained of red-brown raised spots on skin.
Mahmudur Rahman said, 'Cattle vaccination is a must to check the disease.'
He also advised people not to come in touch with infected cattle.
Source : New Age
