Anthrax cannot be passed from one person to another, and infected individuals do not pose a risk of transmission, according to Prof Todor Kantardzhiev, former director of the National Centre of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, speaking on the BNT's “The Day Begins” programme on April 28.
Twenty-four people are currently receiving preventive antibiotic treatment following the confirmed anthrax case.
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Prof Kantardzhiev said the affected animals likely died after consuming contaminated feed mixed with soil.
“When there is heavy rainfall followed by drought, the roots of the grass dry out, and grazing animals consume the grass together with soil from the roots,” he explained. “Anthrax spores may be present in that soil, and animals usually die from the intestinal form of the disease.”
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He added that people are most commonly infected through contact with sick animals, during slaughter, or while handling meat and hides from infected livestock.
“If meat from an animal that died of anthrax is eaten, severe pain may begin, especially on the right side of the abdomen,” he said. “People often realise they have consumed undercooked or raw sausage. As the infection progresses, even with the correct antibiotics—which may not always be administered in time—mortality can reach around 30%.”
Prof Kantardzhiev once again stressed that anthrax does not spread between people.
“The infected person cannot infect anyone else. This is very important to know,” he said. “Unlike other infections where transmission is possible, anthrax has no such mechanism. That is why only cases at risk of further exposure are isolated—not those who are already infected.”
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