Anthrax scare in Bisra; 2 dead, 9 admitted to hospitals

Rourkela: Fears of anthrax gripped Birikeri village under Bisra block of Sundargarh district with the death of two villagers in recent past.

While five others affected by anthrax are undergoing treatment at the Rourkela government hospital, four are admitted to the Bisra hospital.

To ascertain the reasons behind the spread of anthrax in the area, a team of doctors today visited Birikeri village and collect blood samples of the resident in the area.

Asked about how he came to know he has been affected by anthrax, Asish Tigga, a patient, said, "Initially boils appeared on the skin and thereafter it grew in size and ruptured. That's how I thought of being anthrax-affected. As animal carcasses are either buried or thrown in open, the environment is getting polluted to help anthrax spread."

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Deputy CMO of the Rourkela Government Hospital SK Kabisatpathy commented, "The hospital medicine specialist and skin specialist have clinically identified the disease as anthrax. Therefore, antibiotics have been given to the patients."

He further stated, "The CDMO office located in Sundargarh has been told about the spread of anthrax, a notifiable disease, in Birikeri. A team of doctors today visited the area and collected blood samples for laboratory tests.