Context:
5 countries in East and southern Africa are in the middle of outbreaks of the anthrax disease recently.
Anthrax disease:
- A zoonotic non-contagious disease
- Other names – Malignant pustule or woolsorter’s disease.
- Caused by – Bacterium (occurs naturally in soil)
- Transmission –
- Contact with infected animals
- Extremely rare Person-to-person transmission
- Global occurrence – Asia, southern Europe, sub-Sahelian Africa and parts of Australia
- Occurrence in India – Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Orissa and Karnataka.
- Treatment –
- Antibiotic therapy
- Antibiotics used – Penicillin, ciprofloxacin and doxycycline
- Vaccines – BioThrax
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
Which of the following diseases can be transmitted from one person to another through tattooing?
1. Chikungunya
2. Hepatitis B
3. HIV-AIDS
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2013 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Chikungunya is transmitted to humans through infected mosquitoes mainly Aedes aegypti.
