Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax most commonly occurs in wild and domestic lower vertebrates (cattle, sheep, goats, camels, antelopes, and other plant-eating animals), but it can also occur in humans when they are exposed to infected animals or tissue from infected animals. Anthrax has also been weaponized, as in the October 2001 contaminated mail attacks in the United States.
The Anthrax Fact sheet (2 pages) provides information about about how the disease is spread, symptoms, prevention and treatment. |
