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Authorities in Russia have admitted that an anthrax outbreak could be underway after an infected bull was sold as meat – with a whole village being closed off.
A married couple, from Staroye Aktashevo in Chuvash Republic, Russia, who slaughtered the bull are in hospital in “severe” conditions with confirmed anthrax poisoning.
The butchers became infected through cuts on their hands as they slaughtered the animal.
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Checkpoints have been set up around Staroye Aktasheva and a major quarantine operation is underway, according to a video that also shows the disinfectant operation in the village.
The authorities have admitted that meat from the infected animal has been sold to multiple unknown people and is likely to have spread.
Meat from the half-ton bull is feared to have been sold to dozens of buyers who are now at risk of infection, it is reported.
People known to have been in contact with the pair are “under constant medical supervision, and receiving preventative treatment”, said Oleg Nikolayev, the senior official in the Chuvash Republic, on the Volga River.
Mash reported: “The hospitalised man caught the disease, injuring himself with a knife while butchering a bull.
“The man managed to sell the infected meat of the bull…”
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Anthrax is deadly to animals and humans if not detected quickly.
It can lead to sepsis, damage to multiple organs, and inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, causing massive bleeding and death.
Local animals as well as humans are being monitored for signs of infections.
There has been concern in Russia over the release of zombie anthrax viruses “locked” in permafrost soil now thawing due to climate change.
Separately, during the Cold War, the USSR weaponised anthrax in clandestine military biological labs.
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