Next case of infection discovered in Mukdahan, 600 potentially exposed
PUBLISHED: 2 Does 2025 at 19: 27
Thailand has reported its first fatality in three years from anthrax, prompting a common health alert after officials found hundreds of people in Mukdahan state who might have been exposed to the dangerous bacteria.
A 53-year-old person in Mukdahan died on Wednesday after contracting leptospirosis, with a second case confirmed in the same state and three more suspected cases being investigated, according to Dr. Narong Chankaeo, the municipal health office’s chief of staff, on Friday. A second case was confirmed in the same state and three more suspected cases were under investigation.
Both the deceased and his companion both experienced rashes as well as skin lesions on their fingers.
The sick patient was in good health before the infection and has not yet displayed severe symptoms, according to the dentist.
If there are no major complications, he is being treated in a clinic and is expected to make a complete restoration in about two months, according to Dr. Narong.
The Don Tan area, which is located just across the Mekong River from Laos and where numerous bacillus infections were reported last month, has now been designated a disease control area.
According to the doctor, 638 citizens in Don Tan are known to have encountered the exact source of infection while killing or consuming raw or uncooked meat.
Doxycycline, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial, has been prescribed to all.
Anthrax spreads from an infected dog to people, not from humans to people.
Residents of Amnat Charoen, Kalasin, and Nakhon Phanom, which are close by, are now being warned against consuming raw meat.
Within a 5-kilometer diameter of the site of the first anthrax case, the Department of Livestock Development may vaccinate about 1,200 cattle.
No animals have so far displayed signs of illness or unexpected death, the department continued.
Thailand past reported animal anthrax cases in 2017, when two people died from the illness. 15 circumstances were identified in 2000, all of which did not result in fatalities.
Following a surge in local infections, Wednesday’s demise was the first leptospirosis fatality in the nation since 1994, when three people died. Vietnam confirmed 13 cases of anthrax in May 2023, while Laos reported 129 bacillus infection last season, including one fatality.