A 53-year-old man who admitted to frequently eating raw beef has been found to be infected with anthrax.
The patient, a labourer in tambon Tha Yaek of the eastern border province’s Muang district, was admitted to Pattaya Bhattamakun Hospital in Chon Buri on Sunday.
Dr Tarapong Kabko, Sa Kaeo’s public health chief, said the man had open sores on his head, the back of his neck and limbs. A test confirmed the man was infected with anthrax.
He said the patient admitted he often consumed raw beef while drinking alcohol, most recently last week. The provincial health chief believed the patient was infected by the raw meat.
Dr Tarapong warned people in Muang district and nearby areas to refrain from touching cattle, goats or sheep that were ill or had died unnaturally, and to eat only cooked food.
Anthrax is a highly infectious bacterial disease found in herbivores, especially cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats. It can be passed to humans, is resistant to heat and chemicals and can survive in the environment for over a decade.
Infected animals die rapidly and transmit the disease to humans through contact with their blood, meat or organs. Severe cases in humans have a high mortality rate of up to 80%. The country reported its first anthrax fatality in three decades in the northeastern province of Mukdahan in late April. The outbreak prompted Cambodia and Laos to suspend Thai livestock imports.
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