Bhubaneswar, Two people in Orissa's Koraput district have died of anthrax, a fairly uncommon disease while many people have been infected by the virus
Bhubaneswar, June 1 (IANS) Two people in Orissa's Koraput district have died of anthrax, a fairly uncommon disease while many people have been infected by the virus, health officials said Friday.
Bisu Sisa, 45 and Nanda Jani, 35, of Koraput district, nearly 500 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, reportedly showed signs of infection after consuming cattle meat and died last week, Chief District Medical Officer K. Haribandhu Reddy told IANS.Reddy said five other people from the same village contracted the infection last week and four more have been hospitalised Friday.
"We are providing treatment at the government hospital at Laxmipur while a team of doctors is camping in the affected villages to monitor the situation," he added.
Anthrax usually affects cattle but some time passes to humans if they eat contaminated meat. Antibiotics often cure the disease if it is diagnosed early.
However, many people do not know they have anthrax until it is too late to cure it. A vaccine to prevent anthrax is available for military personnel and those at high risk.
Source-IANS
LIN/M
