http://www.huntingreport.com/w...te.cfm?articleid=582



Beware of Anthrax Outbreak In Zambia

(posted October 12, 2011)

Hunters on their way to or from Zambia should be aware of an anthrax outbreak in the Chama District of the Eastern Province. More than 200 cases of suspected infection have been reported and several deaths have been linked to the outbreak, which has killed more than 90 hippopotami in the Luangwa River.

The outbreak was first detected in early September and infected areas were reportedly closed. According to sources in the hunting community, the infected areas in Chama were outside of the hunting areas and mortalities in the Lower Zambezi were not officially confirmed as cases of anthrax. But at least one Hunting Report subscriber scheduled for an upcoming safari in Luangwa was told by his operator not to come. That is despite other operators continuing to hunt in the general area. Photographic safari operators in the Lower Zambezi National Park continue to operate as well.

According to sources, anthrax outbreaks occur on occasion during drought periods and are not unusual in the Luangwa area. Follow the usual precautions of drinking only bottled water and don't consume or handle hippo meat. Ministry of Health officials say this outbreak was caused by an infected hippo, and all of the cases have been linked to the handling or consumption of hippo meat.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, anthrax is not known to spread from person to person and is typically contracted by handling products from infected animals or inhaling anthrax spores from contaminated animal products. It can also be spread by eating undercooked meat from infected animals. Symptoms can occur within seven days of infection and include fever, flu-like symptoms and gastrointestinal distress. Also, cutaneous anthrax infection results in a skin sore that starts as a raised bump and develops into a painless ulcer with a black area in the center.

If you have been to either the Chama District or the Luangwa area of Zambia recently or are going there now and you develop these symptoms, seek immediate medical attention. If you experience these symptoms in the field, a call to Global Rescue for evaluation and possible medical evacuation for immediate treatment would not be out of order.