Cow in the UK died of anthrax

First outbreak of the deadly disease in England since 2006
A cow died in the English county of Wiltshire of the deadly infectious disease anthrax. This outbreak of anthrax is the first of its kind in England since 2006. The responsible health authority said that the risk to the population was low.

The said cow died late last week on a farm in Wiltshire. The carcass of the infected animal was burned immediately after completion of the investigations. This is the first case of bacterial disease in England since 2006. However, a second case was registered in the UK on a farm in Wales last month. Whether there is a connection between the two cases is still unclear.

The dangerous anthrax pathogens had not occurred in England for almost ten years. (Image: royaltystockphoto / fotolia.com)

Contagious risk to the population extremely low
The chance of transmission of infected animals to people who have much contact with the animals is extremely low, said a government spokesman in a statement. The affected people would be well advised and would be under medical supervision. There would be no danger to the public, the spokesman added. In addition, no cases were known in which other animals fell ill. It is also important that no infected cow has been processed and thus no contaminated meat has entered the human food chain.

Cloven hoopla most endangered
The affected farm was given a 72-hour incubation period. This has now expired and it is assumed that no cows have left the farm in the period prior to the onset of bacterial infectious disease. Anthrax is also known as "anthrax". The deadly disease often affects livestock in Europe, Africa and Asia. The highest risk of contracting this infection generally affects cloven hoofed animals such as sheep or cattle. Transfers to humans are very rare in industrialized countries. The last known case of anthrax in Germany occurred in 2014 in cattle in Saxony-Anhalt. Extensive tests are now to find out the source of the infection in Great Britain.

Cattle breeders easily recognize symptoms
Farmers should look for obvious signs of anthrax before animals are slaughtered, said a spokesman for the Department of Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Derfra). Normally, it is easy to see symptoms for livestock breeders, so there is a good chance of preventing further spread. Affected animals would generally show obvious signs of anthrax before processing or slaughter is planned. Therefore, it is unlikely that meat from infected animals in the human food chain, said the speaker of Defra. However, there are also cases in which sick animals die quickly after the onset of first symptoms. For example, sheep and cattle are dying very quickly of "anthrax". For this reason, it is possible that a dead animal previously had no obvious signs of the disease. The length of the disease varies, so it could happen that animals get the symptoms a few days before they die. Typical symptoms include a decline in milk production, loss of appetite, pain and swelling.

Investigations continue
Nigel Gibbens of the Defra explained in a statement that this case was detected early and it was thus possible to react quickly. The deceased cow was burned on the farm immediately and then a curfew had been imposed. Thus, a danger to the population can be excluded. Maggie Rae, director of public health and deputy director of the Wiltshire Council, added that the risk is very low, but of course that the situation should not be underestimated. The problem must be taken seriously and everything possible must be done to support national and local experts as well as possible in their investigations.