About 30 people have been detected with anthrax in Shahjadpur and Ullapara, upazilas of Sirajganj (Bangladesh) recently.

According to local doctors, the virus broke out in the villages after sick cows were slaughtered by the locals in the last few days. The meat was shared, infecting adults and children. Medical teams were sent to the villages to start giving antibiotic treatment to the infected people.

The disease affects humans and animals and most of its forms are lethal. It passes on to the human while handling sick livestock. A person to person transmission does not occur. Some form of the disease though respond well to antibiotic treatment. There are also vaccines against anthrax, which can keep animals immune from the bacterium.

Officials from the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), responsible for overseeing human infection called people not to panic, but be aware of the disease. According to health authorities, doctors are better trained and can manage anthrax infection. If detected earlier, the infection in skin is not life-threatening. They also warned the population not to slaughter sick cattle and suggest them to dispose dead animals properly, not throwing dead animals bodies into the water or maintaining them in the open field.