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On July 16, Haitian authorities announced two deaths and 10 people were hospitalized after eating beef contaminated with anthrax.
The incident occurred in the Bayara area of Petit-Goâve city, 56 km south of the capital Puerto Principe.
Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacteria Bacillus Anthracis. Anthrax bacteria form spores, which have a very durable structure that allows them to survive in the environment for long periods of time.
This is a type of bacteria that is transmitted from animals to humans. In this case, the natural hosts of the disease are ruminants such as cows, sheep and goats, as well as some other animals. Humans can get the disease through direct contact with infected animals or animal products infected with anthrax. Once these spores are eaten, inhaled or enter the body through a cut in the skin, they can multiply and produce a very powerful toxin.
When it comes to cutaneous anthrax, itchy sores appear at the exposed area and turn black in color and may be accompanied by other symptoms such as headache, muscle pain, fever and vomiting. In the digestive tract, it initially presents as food poisoning, which worsens over time, causing severe abdominal pain, vomiting blood and severe diarrhea. While pulmonary anthrax is the most dangerous, the initial symptoms are similar to the common cold, progressing to difficulty breathing and severe shock.
