Worst Anthrax Outbreak In 50 Years Hits Canada
Ankit Gupta - All Headline News Staff Writer Ottawa, Canada (AHN) - More than 500 bovine have died of anthrax on Canadian farms in recent months in what officials described as the worst outbreak there in at least 50 years. In western Saskatchewan province, 432 cattle and other livestock on 86 farms died after being exposed to the pathogen. Another 88 died on a dozen farms in neighboring Manitoba province, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said. CFIA veterinarian Sandra Stephens says, "It's the largest outbreak for sure in the last 50 years." She also adds that proper records were not kept prior to the 1950s. Anthrax is caused by bacteria and can be transmitted to humans through contact with contaminated animal substances such as hair, feces or hides, and is characterized by ulcerative skin lesions. In Saskatchewan, Canada's agricultural heartland, heavy rains flushed the spores out of the ground and into pastures, Stephens said. In Manitoba, a heat wave caused animals to scratch the scorched earth in search of fresh grub and in so doing they came in contact with the deadly bacteria, she said. Prompting authorities to vaccinate thousands of animals. "We certainly hope we passed the worst of it," Stephens said.
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