The people who work with anthrax in a lab or the bio-weapon terrorist who uses it to create weapons are at risk of anthrax.
You cannot simply spread anthrax to other people as it is not contagious. If you think that you have anthrax then you should visit a doctor and get treatment.
If you come in contact with the animals who are infected with anthrax then there are chances that it can also happen to you.
The people who eat products from animals infected with anthrax can also face the disease. People who use or injects heroin are also found infected with anthrax.
What is anthrax
Anthrax is caused by bacteria and is an infectious disease. While it’s a very rare disease but it can be very serious to the health of any person.
While anthrax only affects farm animals like sheep and cows but can also affect you, if you are in contact with them.
What is the cause of anthrax?
Anthrax is a very rare disease in a country like the United States but it can be found in the soil so it’s not completely safe. It is caused by bacteria which is known as Bacillus anthracis.
The bacteria can make spores which are also known as a form of bacteria who lives in a protective shell.
The spores can last for years under the ground and if the spores get inside your body and open then you will get anthrax. The bacteria which released in your body can create toxins which are harmful to anyone.
How does someone get anthrax?
It is very important that you first learn what is anthrax and then get information about how you might get infected by it. As you know that prevention is better than cure, so these things in mind to protect yourself.
- If you breathe in the spores from the Bacillus anthracis then you might get infected with anthrax
- When you drink or eat a product which is affected by the anthrax spores then it can cause issues
- The people who touch the spore of the bacteria can get infected with anthrax
- Tainted injection of heroin can also cause disease like anthrax
While it’s not true for everyone but most people get anthrax when they work with the infected animals. If you work with animal products like wool then you might have a chance of getting infected with anthrax.
What are the symptoms for anthrax?
When you get anthrax through a cut in your skin then here are some of the symptoms for it.
- The infected area look like a bump from a bug bite or there will be small blisters around it
- You will get a sore on the skin after the blisters and its mostly painless
- The swelling will start near the infected area
If you drink or eat a product which is tainted by the bacteria then here are some of the symptoms that you might have anthrax.
- You will catch fever or gets chills when you eat infect product
- There will be swelling in your glands and neck which cause pain when you swallow
- Loss of appetite and vomiting which can be bloody
- Headache and stomachache issues
- Fainting and weakness in the body
- Swelling and pain in your abdomen
The most dangerous situation for you can be when you breathe the anthrax spores and here the symptoms you might have during such time.
- It might lead to the shortness of breath when you inhale anthrax bacteria
- Coughing up blood if you inhale anthrax bacteria
- You will feel pain when you swallow the pain
- There will be a lot of sweating when you inhale anthrax bacteria
- Confusion and dizziness issues
When you inject illegal drugs like heroin then here are some of the symptoms which can cause troubles for you. So first get information about what is anthrax and then you will learn why heroin can cause you such issues.
- Blisters and bumps on your skin which might be itchy and cause redness over your skin.
- Fever and chills after you inject infected heroin
- An ulcer will replace the blisters which will have a black mass center
- Pus will gather around the place where you use the injection and it might be under the muscles
How is anthrax diagnosed?
You can visit your doctors in order to learn what is anthrax and get a complete checkup and if your doctor thinks that you have anthrax then you need to get some medical tests.
These tests will be done in order to check if you have any anthrax toxins or antibodies in your blood. After initial tests, there might be other tests to determine which body part is infected with anthrax.
For the people who got anthrax then you doctors will take the sample of the infected skin and then send it to get tested in the lab.
This will help in providing more information about the infected and only after the results a suitable treatment process is determined.
If you have inhaled the anthrax bacteria spores then you need to get an X-ray or CT scan. This will help be quite helpful for the medical procedure to ensure that you get perfect treatment.
For gastrointestinal anthrax, a stool test can be done to find the sign of anthrax bacteria.
What are the major complications you can face due to anthrax?
If you want to know what is anthrax and its complications then you are in the right place. The people who are infected with anthrax can face inflammation of the membranes and fluids that are covering the spinal cord and brain.
This might result in massive bleeding which gets impossible to stop and cause death. So you should never avoid issues related to your health.
What is the treatment for anthrax?
For most of the cases, if you get the treatment in the early stages then you can cure anthrax.
The skin anthrax can be treated by using medicines like penicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and, erythromycin (Ilotycin, Ery-Ped, Ery-Tab). Using the proper medicines and treatment on time can be quite helpful for you.