• An anthrax outbreak has been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo with one death, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

• Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with support from WHO, are intensifying emergency response efforts to control the outbreak in which 16 suspected and one confirmed human cases have been reported in North Kivu Province in the east of the country. 

• Initial alerts about the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo were raised on March 22 in Virunga National Park, where dozens of buffaloes and hippopotamuses have died.  

• The outbreak has affected four health zones around Lake Edward on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

• It is linked to the one that is ongoing on the Ugandan side of the lake, where seven suspected human cases have been reported in the western Kabale district. Response efforts are ongoing, including livestock vaccination. 

• To effectively respond to the outbreak, WHO and partners are working under One Health, a unified approach to safeguard human, environmental and animal health, recognizing the interconnectedness of the three aspects and the need for comprehensive measures. 

What is anthrax?

• Anthrax is a bacterial infection that mainly affects animals. It is caused by the spore-forming bacteria called Bacillus anthracis.

• It is a zoonosis (disease transmissible from animals to humans) that typically affects ruminants (such as cows, sheep, and goats). 

• The bacteria produce extremely potent toxins which are responsible for the symptoms, causing a high lethality rate. 

• People can get the disease directly or indirectly from infected animals, or through exposure to infected or contaminated animal products. 

• Anthrax spores may remain dormant in the soil for long periods and resurface when the soil is disturbed, such as by flooding, torrential rains or landslides. The disease typically reappears when the spores are then ingested by grazing ruminants.

Types of anthrax:

• The disease has three forms in humans, all needing prompt medical attention.

i) The most common is cutaneous anthrax, which happens when spores come into contact with broken skin, causing an itchy bump that turns into a black sore. This form can also lead to headaches, muscle aches, fever, and vomiting. 

ii) Gastrointestinal anthrax occurs from eating infected meat, causing food poisoning-like symptoms that can worsen to severe stomach pain, bloody vomiting, and diarrhoea. 

iii) The rarest and most serious form is inhalation anthrax, which results from breathing in the spores, starting with cold-like symptoms before rapidly leading to severe breathing problems and shock. All human cases of anthrax require hospitalisation.  

• The disease is treatable with antibiotics, which need to be prescribed by a medical professional. Vaccines exist for livestock and humans. However, human vaccines are in limited supply and used primarily for protection of selected individuals with possible occupational exposure to anthrax.

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