Reputable Thai media outlets, such as the Bangkok Post, on the afternoon of May 5th, continued to report only one death from anthrax, which the Cambodian Ministry of Health’s Department of Infectious Disease Control calls “coal poisoning,” but some social media outlets in our country have reported that up to 600 people have died.
Please don’t confuse this, it really exists, but there haven’t been that many cases. The Bangkok Post reported that only 3 people have been infected with the charcoal poisoning disease so far, and one person has died, while 98 other people are only under observation.
According to the World Health Organization, this disease is a deadly disease, but it has a cure and is a very rare disease, so don’t panic, and those who don’t know for sure don’t scare others.
In addition to the World Health Organization report, according to a medical document published on https://www.mayoclinic.org, anthrax is a rare but serious disease caused by a bacterium called Bacillus anthracis, and people can be infected or develop the disease through direct or indirect contact with sick animals or areas rich in this bacteria. .
So far, the world has no evidence that this disease is transmitted from person to person, but it is possible that the skin lesions can be transmitted through direct contact or through contact with objects that contain the bacteria, because the virus enters the body through wounds on the skin. It can also be transmitted by inhaling the bacteria through the respiratory tract or eating undercooked meat that contains the virus.
So far, this disease on the skin is not very dangerous, but if it spreads and causes diseases inside the body such as the lungs, stomach, intestines, it is difficult to treat and can be fatal.
Skin cancer: Symptoms include itchy bumps that grow like insect bites and quickly turn into painful, ulcerated sores with a black center. In addition, patients may have swelling in and around the affected lymph nodes, and sometimes symptoms such as fever and headache.
Stomach and intestinal cancer: Patients contract the disease by eating undercooked meat from infected animals. It can affect your gastrointestinal tract, from your throat to your large intestine. This disease has some symptoms such as nausea, abdominal pain, headache, loss of appetite, fever, severe diarrhea, bleeding in the later stages of the disease, sore throat and difficulty swallowing, swelling of the throat, etc.
Respiratory tract infection: This is the most serious type and can be fatal. The disease is spread by inhaling bacterial spores through the respiratory tract. People who develop this respiratory tract infection experience flu-like symptoms lasting a few hours or days, such as a sore throat, mild fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. Then there are symptoms of mild chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting blood, pain when swallowing, high fever, difficulty breathing, and meningitis.
To protect yourself from this disease, there is a vaccine, but in Cambodia, we still don’t know if it is available on the market or in hospitals. The treatment process can last up to 60 days, and the medicine used is antibiotics. Avoid close contact with grazing animals, including cows and buffaloes, and maintain good personal hygiene. Food must be cooked thoroughly and respiratory protection should also be taken.
