Thailand has confirmed its first anthrax-related death in 30 years, triggering a public health alert after hundreds of people in Mukdahan province were found to be at risk of exposure.
A 53-year-old man from Mukdahan died on Wednesday after contracting anthrax, while a second case in the province has been confirmed and three others are under investigation, according to Dr Narong Chankaeo, head of the provincial health office.
Both the deceased and his friend developed symptoms, including skin lesions on their hands and rashes.
Despite the infection, the second patient remains in good health and has yet to develop serious symptoms, Dr Narong said.
He is receiving hospital treatment and is expected to make a full recovery within two weeks if no complications arise.
Don Tan district — located across the Mekong River from Laos, where dozens of anthrax cases were reported last year — has now been designated a disease control zone.
Health authorities say 638 people in Don Tan may have been exposed through butchering or consuming raw or undercooked beef from the same contaminated source.
All of them have been given doxycycline, a broad-spectrum antibiotic.
Anthrax is transmitted from infected animals to humans and does not spread from person to person.
Neighbouring provinces, including Amnat Charoen, Kalasin, and Nakhon Phanom, are on alert and have urged residents to avoid consuming raw beef.
The Department of Livestock Development plans to vaccinate approximately 1,200 cattle within a 5-kilometre radius of the initial outbreak site.
So far, no animals in the area have shown symptoms or died unexpectedly, the department reported.
Thailand last recorded human anthrax cases in 2017, when two people were infected but survived. In 2000, 15 cases were documented, all non-fatal.
This week’s death marks the country’s first anthrax fatality since 1994, when three people died. It follows a rise in cases across the region, with Laos reporting 129 infections and one death last year, and Vietnam confirming 13 cases in May 2023.
