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| Public domain photo/ Zoophilia at en.wikipedia |
An anthrax outbreak in the South African park has claimed the lives of 30 hippopotami in the past two weeks, according to a South African National Parks (SANParks) media release Nov. 5.The outbreak north of Kruger National Park, which initially began in August, has killed dozens of hippos in the Letaba and Olifants Rivers recently.Park officials are closely monitoring the situation.“Members of the public are urged to report any sightings to the nearest camp and not to touch the carcases. The State Veterinarians are busy examining six carcases that were found over the weekend and will issue the results as soon as they’re available”, according to SANParks spokesperson, Reynold Thakhuli.Thakhuli said that anthrax is a natural occurrence in the area.Since 1960, eight major anthrax outbreaks have occurred in the Kruger National Park (1960, 1970, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2010 and 2012).Anthrax is a pathogen in livestock and wild animals. Some of the more common herbivores are cattle, sheep, goats, horses, camels and deers.It infects humans primarily through occupational or incidental exposure with infected animals of their skins.Anthrax is caused by the bacterium, Bacillus anthracis. This spore forming bacteria can survive in the environment for years because of its ability to resist heat, cold, drying, etc. this is usually the infectious stage of anthrax.When conditions become favorable, the spores germinate into colonies of bacteria. An example would be a grazing cow ingests spores that in the cow, germinate, grow spread and eventually kill the animal.The bacteria will form spores in the carcass and then return to the soil to infect other animals.The vegetative form is rarely implicated in transmission.There are no reports of person-to-person transmission of anthrax. People get anthrax by handling contaminated animal or animal products, consuming undercooked meat of infected animals and more recently, intentional release of spores.There are three types of anthrax with differing degrees of seriousness: cutaneous, gastrointestinal and inhalation.For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
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