گزارش وقوع اپيدمي سياه زخم جلدي در روستاهاي توابع شهرستان اسفراين استان خراسان شمالي

An Outbreak of Cutaneous Anthrax in North Khorasan, Iran

Background and objective: Anthrax is a disease of herbivorous animals caused by Bacillus anthracis and humans incidentally acquire the disease by handling the infected dead animals and their products. Materials and methods: 28 human anthrax cases were reported from Esfarayen village of north Khorasan province in Iran during Aug 2009. These cases occurred following an epizootic of anthrax among sheeps of the village and ingestion of contaminated meat by the villagers. Results: Persons who had slaughtered sheep and handled meat had a higher risk for illness than those who had not. Animal husbandry authorities surveyed all the animals in these areas and found 16 animals suffering from anthrax (the diagnosis was established by smear and culture studies). Nearly 3,000 animals were vaccinated with live attenuated spore vaccine from Razi Institute, within a week of this outbreak under a mass vaccination program. Conclusion: In this paper, the authors identify potential causes for the occurrence of anthrax. Anthrax surveillance and farmer education about consumption of meat from animals, which had died of unknown causes, must be intensified, particularly in areas of high prevalence.