According to a report from the Health Commission of Shanxi Province, China, on August 12, the Central Health Center of Liuhulan Town, Wenshui County reported to the County Center for Disease Control and Prevention that villagers in Baoxian Village of the town successively developed papules on their limbs, followed by turning into blisters, ulceration, crusting and blackening, and edema and lymphoma. Preliminary epidemiological investigations by the city and county showed that 9 people in the village had similar symptoms and 4 people were treated in Taiyuan. At present, there are still 5 patients in the village who have been treated in isolation.
As the patient has not yet been diagnosed, skin anthracnose is still “suspected”. After receiving the report, disease control and clinical experts in Shanxi Province have rushed to the local area to guide and assist in epidemiological investigation and disposal, prevention and control, and case diagnosis and treatment.
According to the Luliang Municipal Health Commission, as early as August 3, villagers were found to have related symptoms in Baoxian Village. At present, the village has carried out whole-village health monitoring and imposed restrictions on the entry and exit of livestock. The staff of the Health Commission stated that there has been no evidence of human-to-human transmission. At the same time, the cattle that died of illness have been burned intensively, and the contaminated site has been disinfected, but the source of the disease has not yet been determined whether it is related to the cattle.
It is understood that these 9 people are all engaged in beef cattle breeding, slaughtering, and sales in Baoxian Village. At present, the local area has disinfected the activity sites and excreta of 5 cases in Wenshui County, conducted investigation and control of contacts, carried out active case searches in Baoxian Village, and asked village doctors to strengthen surveillance. At the same time, the local further verified the flow and sampling to confirm the diagnosis, carried out investigations on livestock and the environment, and took prevention and control measures such as killing.
What kind of disease is skin anthrax?
According to the National Anthrax Surveillance Program issued by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, anthrax is a natural foci disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, which is mainly prevalent in herbivorous animals such as cattle, sheep, and deer. It is a Class B infectious disease stipulated by the “People’s Republic of China Infection Prevention and Control Law”, among which pulmonary anthrax is managed in accordance with the Class A infectious disease. At present, the well-known Class A infectious diseases are plague and cholera, and the pneumonia caused by the COVID-19 is also on the same level as anthrax.
Cutaneous anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by Bacillus anthracis. It mainly occurs in herders and occupations such as fur, meat, and livestock. Li Tongzeng, chief physician of the Department of Respiratory and Infectious Diseases of Beijing You’an Hospital, told the reporter that public data shows that in recent years, China has reported 100-300 cases of skin anthrax patients every year. The disease may be transmitted from person to person in theory, but most anthrax patients are caused by contact with infected animals or animal products. Source
