Anthrax
21 more in Kushtia feared infected
At least 21 more people are feared to be infected with anthrax at Bilgathua village in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia yesterday.
On Wednesday, 16 other people of Dharmadaha, an adjacent village, were reported to have contracted anthrax. With this the total number of infected in the upazila rose to 37.
The patients are taking treatment at the upazila health complex and home.
Doctors at the health complex said they are still waiting for experts' opinion on the blood and skin specimens sent earlier to Dhaka.
Saleh Ahmed, Daulatpur upazila health official, said this time the disease might have caused from consuming meat of sick goats.
According to villagers a few goats at Dharmadaha and adjacent villages including Bilgathua and Krishnapur caught an unknown disease 10-15 days ago. People have slaughtered those and consumed the meat.
"We knew that cattle are the only cause of such infection. But now it appears that goats can also carry the disease," Liton, an infected patient of Dharmadaha village, told The Daily Star.
Jatindra Chandra Roy, civil surgeon of Kushtia, said medical teams are working in the area. He also urged people not to panic.
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