Specialists at the Armenian Food Safety Agency have found out the source of anthrax infection in Geghovit village of Armenia's Gegharkunik province, according to the press office of the agency.
It was reported two days earlier that two residents of Geghhovit village in Gegharkunik province with wounds on their hands and wrists, believed to have been caused by anthrax, sought for medical help from Martuni Medical Center, the Armenian Ministry of Health reported. It said a few days earlier the residents had helped a villager to butch and cut the latter's cow.
The ministry said it dispatched specialists from the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention to Geghhovit community to find out whether there was a link between the butchering and the wounds.
It said a joint inspection carried out with local health authorities revealed 6 more people with similar wounds and complaints. Five of them were taken to Nork Infectious Disease Hospital in Yerevan for clinical examination.
The National Center for Disease Control and Prevention sampled 5 patients on the spot detecting anthrax pathogens by using the polymerase chain reaction method. The cases were immediately reported to the Food Safety Inspectorate.
It has become known that the cow owner had backed out of vaccination. The agency specialists have found and burned infected meat at 34 families, and the situation is under control now, ARKA reported.
The health ministry said Appropriate treatment is being given to all patients, and community surveillance is being provided. Preventive measures are already taken. No new cases have been reported.