Warning over outbreak of killer ANTHRAX in holiday hotspot - 4 hospitalised and 1 dead
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Thailand has reported its first fatality from anthrax in 25 years, with four others infected by the bacteria.
All those who are sick are thought to have contracted the disease after contact with infected cattle or animal products.
Anthrax, a disease famed for its links to bioterrorism, is a life-threatening infection caused by the spores of the bacteria Bacillus anthracis.
If these spores enter cuts or scrapes, they can spread through the body and produce toxins - known as cutaneous anthrax - causing severe illness and death.
Four initial cases of this anthrax, three men and one woman all in their mid-30s to late-50s, were reported in Thailand last month.
One patient, a 53-year-old man according to local reports, was killed by the bacterial infection.
Thai health officials said the man sought medical aid for a lesion on his hand that developed almost two weeks after slaughtering a cow.
His condition rapidly deteriorated as the cut became darker - a telltale sign of the disease - with his lymph nodes swelling as he experienced dizziness and convulsions.
He died just three days after initially seeking help at a local hospital.
A fifth case was then detected on May 28.
Three other patients, who needed to be admitted to hospital, have made a full recovery and been discharged.
Testing of samples taken from the patients, all from Mukdahan Province in the country's north east - bordering the Lao People's Democratic Republic - confirmed they had been infected with anthrax.
Other tests of the deceased's kitchenware and meat taken from the cattle, also confirmed the presence of anthrax.
Officials, racing to track any more cases, identified 636 others at risk of anthrax exposure either from working with the infected livestock or eating its meat.
While two more fell ill during this time with diarrhoea and fever, testing for anthrax came back negative.
Thai officials have now decontaminated 23 households at high risk of the infection.
They have also rolled out an animal vaccination programme in the local area in a bid to prevent any more cases.
The World Health Organisation said the risk of the outbreak spreading locally or internationally is low.
No travel advice regarding anthrax cases in Thailand has been issued by the British Government.
Anthrax, which isn't a contagious disease between people, is typically easily remedied if a patient is treated early, especially in countries like the UK.
A handful of anthrax cases are reported in Britain each year.
According to the latest NHS data three anthrax needed treatment in England in 2023-2024.
None of these were the cutaneous anthrax but instead linked to inhalation of anthrax spores or anthrax sepsis, where spores enter the blood stream directly, such as through a needle in drug use.
