The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research confirmed anthrax in human samples collected from Rangpur’s Pirgachha upazila, when more patients with similar symptoms were identified in two more upazilas — Kaunia and Mithapukur — of the district.
Officials on Thursday said that eight samples out of the 12 collected from Pirgachha with anthrax systems were tested positive for anthrax in IEDCR tests.
Earlier, the Department of Livestock had confirmed the presence of anthrax in cattle in the same area.
Rangpur deputy civil surgeon Md Ruhul Amin said that four additional samples had recently been sent to Dhaka for testing, with more samples being collected in the field.
‘We are providing symptomatic treatment to the patients who come for treatment,’ he said.
At least two suspected anthrax patients died in Rangpur since August and an estimated 250 people were detected with anthrax symptoms.
For the first time, the IEDCR confirmed eight cases after laboratory tests.
The Department of Livestock confirmed anthrax in cattle on August 31 through laboratory testing and launched a mass vaccination campaign on September 2.
However, the health department was found slow to act.
The IEDCR collected samples in mid-September while two suspected anthrax-related deaths and hundreds of infections were spreading panic.
Doctors said that all the confirmed cases had a history of slaughtering cattle, or processing meat, or both.
According to them, anthrax — caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis —spreads from animals to humans but not from humans to humans.
Villagers were advised not to consume or handle meat from infected animals.
Pirgachha upazila livestock officer Ekramul Hoque Mondol said that the monitoring of slaughter houses had been intensified and vaccination drives continued.
‘So far, 52,487 cattle were vaccinated at Pirgachha,’ he said adding that nine mobile teams were working to vaccinate rest of the cattle.
Kaunia upazila health and family planning officer Sujoy Saha reported seven suspected patients in Sarai union, adding that two were recovering while four samples were collected for testing.
In Mithapukur, livestock officer Dr Altab Hossain said that a vaccination drive had begun on September 9, with 21,500 doses administered so far, though no infected cattle had yet been detected.
Mithapukur health officer Dr Md Rashebul Islam said that five patients with anthrax symptoms were identified in Imadpur and Durganpur unions.
Samples were being collected for confirmation. ‘All patients had a history of processing or eating meat. They are receiving symptomatic treatment,’ he said.
The outbreak began in August when cattle in Pirgachha died of suspected anthrax.
Some cattle were slaughtered despite symptoms, likely spreading the infection. The livestock department confirmed anthrax in cattle after two suspected human deaths.
The deceased were identified as Abdur Razzak, 38, a farmer and rickshaw-van puller of Pirgachha sadar union, and Komola Begum, 48, a housewife of Parul union.
Razzak, who butchered a sick cow, developed fever, skin lesions, and later died at Rangpur Community Hospital.
Komola, who cooked meat from an infected cow, died on September 6 at Rangpur Medical College Hospital
Locals said that dozens of cattle had already died, many cases going unreported. Out of fear, villagers were selling cattle at throwaway prices.
Health officials said that villagers typically developed rashes that turned into large sores and deep wounds.
While anthrax is not always fatal, untreated cutaneous anthrax can have a fatality rate of up to 20 per cent. Inhaled anthrax, doctors warned, can be even deadlier.
Bangladesh experienced its worst anthrax outbreak in decades in 2010, when 607 human cases were reported across 11 districts, including Pabna, Sirajganj, and Tangail. Two deaths were reported during that outbreak.