Man dies from anthrax

For the first time in five years, a death from anthrax has been recorded in Georgia, Adjara. The International Society for Infectious Diseases reported via promedmail.com that the man lived in the village in the state Khelvachauri district of Adjara in the former Soviet Union. According to the report, the man was admitted to a hospital but it was too late for treatment to be effective. Doctors diagnosed him with the skin form of the disease, which developed from contact with infected animals, according to a Sept. 7, 2017 “Georgia online” report with reference to Sakashvili Khatuna, the head of the Service of Infectious Diseases, The National Center for Disease Control and Public Health. According to U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, anthrax spores can get into a person’s skin when handling infected animals or contaminated animal products like wool, hides, or hair causing cutaneous anthrax. Cutaneous anthrax is the most common form of anthrax infection, and it is also considered to be the least dangerous. Without treatment, up to 20 percent of people with cutaneous anthrax may die. However, with proper treatment, almost all patients with cutaneous anthrax survive. Since the beginning of the 2017, Georgia region has recorded 20 cases of cutaneous anthrax. A similar number was recorded in 2016.