KYRGYZSTAN: Suspected anthrax cases in south

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

OSH, 11 Oct 2005 (IRIN) - A quarantine has been imposed in parts of southern Kyrgyzstan after nine people were hospitalised in the southern province of Jalal-Abad with suspected anthrax, health officials said on Tuesday.

"The situation is very serious and there are more infected cases amongst both residents and cattle. We have screened around 130 people for anthrax so far," Abdykalyk Nazarov, head of the provincial epidemiological unit, said from Jalal-Abad, capital of the southern province of the same name.

Those hospitalised are from the Bazar-Korgon district of Jalal-Abad province. The nine are under medical surveillance and treatment following their admission. Quarantine has been introduced in the district, with a ban on the sale of cattle, milk and meat. The infection was detected in six villages in the area. Consumption of the meat of animals infected with anthrax is believed to be the source of the infection.

Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus Anthracis. While anthrax most commonly occurs in wild and domestic quadrupeds such as cattle, sheep, goats, camels, antelopes and other herbivores, it can also occur in humans when they are exposed to the tissue of infected animals. Untreated infections can be fatal. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sporadic cases occur in animals worldwide and there are occasional outbreaks in Central Asia.

"There is emergency prevention work under way and residents are getting antibiotics and prophylaxis, while veterinary surgeons have started vaccinating cattle in the area," Nazarov explained.
The area is susceptible to anthrax. Health officials cite unhealthy meat slaughtering, processing, storage and sale as the reason for the disease recurring.

"These days they sell meat of God knows what quality on every corner and nobody is checking those vendors. Is there any guarantee that under the current situation the infection will not spread?" Liudmila Blokhina, a teacher from Jalal-Abad city, said.

Health experts have urged the local population to be cautious and purchase only good quality meat products. They also called upon the authorities to increase security measures around places where cattle infected with anthrax were buried in the past.
According to the Jalal-Abad provincial health department, there are about 350 such spots, while only some 150 of them have been registered, fenced and covered with concrete.

"The majority of these places [where anthrax-infected cattle have been buried] are left without care, metal bars and fences are taken away, there are no warning signs and there is a real threat of new anthrax cases in the area," Kamil Atakhanov, a prominent regional public health expert, warned.

[ENDS]