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Anthrax infects 11 villagers
Medical workers in the South Sulawesi town of Gowa have been putting 11 people under special care for suspected anthrax infection. Head of the disease prevention unit at the regional health agency Ahmad Yaman said on Wednesday the Moncongleo villagers were owners of 19 cattle animals that were killed by anthrax last week. Ahmad said the people displayed symptoms of the disease’s infection, including fever and nausea.
The villagers are being treated at their respective homes under supervision of the health agency and have received antibiotics since Saturday. “Right now their condition is improving, but we keep monitoring them, while waiting for the results of a laboratory test on their blood samples,” Ahmad said.
The local community health center has distributed antibiotics to 349 residents of the village to prevent an outbreak from occurring. The center has now opened 24 hours a day to provide free medical care to the local people in the wake of the anthrax infection cases.
The local husbandry agency has also required examination and vaccination of outbound cattle to prevent the spread of anthrax bacterium to neighboring villages.
Gowa is an anthrax endemic region outside the provincial capital of Makassar. (Andi Hajramurni)
Source : The Jakarta Post