What is anthrax?

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I have been reading about a disease called Anthrax. Kindly let me know what this is about. Is it true that the disease is now in Nigeria?

Godwin(by SMS)

Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis. It occurs naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals around the world. People can get sick with anthrax if they come in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products. Yes, it has been confirmed that the disease is currently in Nigeria. Anthrax can stay hidden for years in the soil only to be brought to the surfaceby rain or tilling the fields. When these spores are eaten by animals they cause an outbreak.Anthrax is however, not contagious, which means an infected person cannot pass it on to others like a cold or flu. However, people can get sick with anthrax if they come into contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products, and spores get cuts or scrapes on the person’s skin. Thus it often infects veterinarians, agricultural workers, livestock producers, or butchers. Eating raw or undercooked meat from an infected animal or drinking contaminated water can cause the disease. Anthrax can spread through the air, where the spores are inhaled, which can happen in places like slaughterhouses and tanneries.There are different types of anthrax symptoms depending on whether the spores enter the skin (cutaneous anthrax), are breathed in (inhalation anthrax), are eaten or drunk (gastrointestinal anthrax), or injected (injection anthrax).When anthrax spores get inside the body, the bacterium goes from dormant to active and multiplies, spreading through the body, producing toxins.Symptoms of cutaneous anthrax include blisters and sores on the skin, inhaling the spores can cause chest pains, shortness of breath and cough, and gastrointestinal anthrax can mean swelling of the neck, sore throat, bloody vomiting or diarrhea.Inhaled anthrax usually develops a few weeks after exposure but it can take up to two months. Without treatment, up to 20% of people with cutaneous anthrax die. If left untreated, more than half of patients with gastrointestinal anthrax die. However, treatment can save 60% of people.The standard treatment for anthrax is an antibiotic prescribed by a doctor. Since some spores can take up to two months to be activated, people need to take antibiotics for that long to be sure they are protected.

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