So, like, there’s been some news about anthrax in Thailand. Apparently, a guy in Mukdahan kicked the bucket from anthrax, which is a pretty big deal since it’s the first anthrax-related death in 30 years. And get this, there’s another person in the same province who caught it too. Plus, three more peeps are being checked out for possible anthrax infection. Crazy stuff, right?
The dude who passed away and his pal both had symptoms like skin lesions on their hands and rashes. The one who got infected was healthy before, but now he’s getting treatment at the hospital. The doc thinks he’ll be back to normal in a couple of weeks if nothing serious goes down. Fingers crossed for him, I guess.
The area where this all went down, Don Tan district, is now on high alert for anthrax. They’ve identified a whopping 638 folks who might have been exposed to the same source of infection. How? Well, they either handled or chowed down on some raw or undercooked beef. Yikes. Everyone in the area has been given doxycycline, an antibiotic, just in case.
Anthrax doesn’t spread from human to human, just from animals to humans. So, the nearby provinces of Amnat Charoen, Kalasin, and Nakhon Phanom are keeping an eye out for any signs of anthrax. They’re warning people to steer clear of raw beef for now. Better to be safe than sorry, right?
The Livestock Development Department is taking action too. They’re vaccinating around 1,200 cattle within a 5-kilometre radius of where the first anthrax case popped up. So far, no animals have shown any signs of sickness or sudden death. Phew.
Thailand hasn’t had any human anthrax cases since 2017, when two people got infected but pulled through. Back in 2000, there were 15 cases reported, but luckily, no one died. This recent death is the first anthrax fatality in Thailand since 1994 when three people lost their lives. And it seems like anthrax is making a comeback in the region. Laos had 129 anthrax cases last year, with one fatality. Vietnam also had 13 cases back in 2023.
Honestly, not really sure why this matters, but there’s been a lot of anthrax going around lately. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like we should all be extra careful with what we eat and how we handle animals. Stay safe, folks.
