Anthrax, human - Kyrgyzstan (Jalal-Abad) (02): susp.

International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Source: IA "Akipress" [Russian, trans. ProMED-RUS Correspondent Artak
S, edited]
<http://www.akipress.org/_print.php?db=3Dru_fergana&id=3D20631=20>

According to the information from the South Inter-regional
Administration of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 2 patients
with suspected anthrax were admitted to the infectious diseases unit
of Suzak district hospital on 12 Sep 2006. They are inhabitants of
the village of Sokutash within the Kiziltu village administration of
the Suzakskiy district. The patients contracted anthrax by eating
the meat of a neighbor's cow that was not certified by a veterinarian.

There was a report about a patient from the same village (Sokutash)
at the end of August [2006]. The results of laboratory tests have
not been reported. The previous 2 Jun 2006, 2 more patients from the
Jalal-Abad Region were admitted to the hospital with suspected
anthrax, also without laboratory confirmation. The cases of anthrax
from this region are becoming frequent, which may be because of spore
contamination of pastures from old burial grounds of cattle.

Anthrax is enzootic in the Jalal-Abad & Osh oblasts, which together
constitute one of the major areas for this disease in livestock and
humans in Kyrgyzstan. When there are repeated cases in the same
village it reflects a major disease control problem, especially of
failures in routine annual livestock vaccination as well as of
veterinary public health/meat inspection. The country is poor and
unfortunately the veterinary infrastructure reflects this.