title: Anthrax outbreaks in Bangladesh, 2009-2010.
abstract: During August 2009-October 2010, a multidisciplinary team investigated 14 outbreaks of animal and human anthrax in Bangladesh to identify the etiology, pathway of transmission, and social, behavioral, and cultural factors that led to these outbreaks. The team identified 140 animal cases of anthrax and 273 human cases of cutaneous anthrax. Ninety one percent of persons in whom cutaneous anthrax developed had history of butchering sick animals, handling raw meat, contact with animal skin, or were present at slaughtering sites. Each year, Bacillus anthracis of identical genotypes were isolated from animal and human cases. Inadequate livestock vaccination coverage, lack of awareness of the risk of anthrax transmission from animal to humans, social norms and poverty contributed to these outbreaks. Addressing these challenges and adopting a joint animal and human health approach could contribute to detecting and preventing such outbreaks in the future.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Communicable Diseases, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh. achakraborty@icddrb.org
authors.forename: Apurba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.forename: Salah Uddin
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Mohammed Abul
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hasnat
authors.forename: Shahana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parveen
authors.forename: M Saiful
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mikolon
authors.forename: Ranjit Kumar
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Chakraborty
authors.forename: Be-Nazir
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Khorsed
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ara
authors.forename: Najmul
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Haider
authors.forename: Sherif R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Zaki
authors.forename: Alex R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Hoffmaster
authors.forename: Mahmudur
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Stephen P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Luby
authors.forename: M Jahangir
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hossain
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000881:Anthrax / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D001408:Bacillus anthracis; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D002417:Cattle; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006041:Goats; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012756:Sheep; D017192:Skin Diseases, Bacterial; D055815:Young Adult