Thailand records first anthrax fatality in decades, with over 600 people potentially exposed to tainted meat.

BANGKOK, May 2 — Thailand has confirmed its first anthrax-related death in decades, with two cases reported nationwide, sparking a public health alert after authorities identified hundreds of people potentially exposed to the deadly bacteria, officials said yesterday.

A 53-year-old man from Mukdahan province, near the Laos border, died on Wednesday from anthrax, according to the government. A second infection has been confirmed in the same area, while three additional suspected cases are under investigation.

Health officials said at least 638 people may have been exposed after consuming raw or undercooked meat. Of these, 36 had taken part in butchering livestock, while the remainder ate the meat. All are now being treated with antibiotics as a precaution.

“All individuals who may have had contact with contaminated meat are under close observation,” the health ministry stated.

The Livestock Department has launched containment efforts, including enforcing a 5-kilometre quarantine zone around the affected site, the agriculture ministry said. Plans are also underway to vaccinate 1,222 cattle in the area, although no animals have shown signs of illness or unexplained death so far.

Anthrax is a rare but potentially fatal disease caused by bacteria that spread through contact with infected animals or contaminated meat. It is not transmitted between people.

The last reported human anthrax cases in Thailand were in 2017, with two infections and no deaths. The country’s last recorded anthrax fatalities occurred in 1994, when three people died.

The latest fatality comes amid a regional uptick in anthrax cases, with Laos reporting 129 infections and one death in 2023, and Vietnam confirming 13 cases in May last year.

Authorities in Thailand are continuing to investigate the source of the infection and have increased surveillance in border regions. — Reuters