Anthrax Cases in Humans and Animals – Bardarash district; Duhok
Submitted on Monday, 14 September 2009 - 12:06pm
Report No. 1
Date: 13th September 2009
From: Dr. Abdullah Saeed Abdullah
Director General of Health; Duhok
To: MoH; KRG-Erbil, MoH; Baghdad;, CDC, MoA; KRG-Erbil, WHO; Iraq, UNICEF; Iraq, DoH; Erbil
Three cases of cutaneous anthrax reported in humans in the village; DENARAN, of ROVIA sub-district, Bardarash district. These reported cases coincident with reported death due to anthrax among livestock in the same village. The affected people are nomads raising livestock, camped currently near the above village; they are originally from BASAWA & BRDASIN villages of Girdasen sub-district, Akre district, to east their location, on August they were in GIR GORAN village of GIRDASEN sub-district, north to DINARAN, the illness in livestock and humans (2 of the 3) started in GIRGORAN village. (Figures 1, 2 & 3)
On 20th August the health general directorate received notification memo dated 12th August from the Veterinary department about death among livestock confirmed of anthrax in GOHANA village; Akre district, one of the same location’s last year outbreak, Oct 2008, in the same day the Akre district health directorate ordered to take actions.
Memo dated 3rd September; veterinary department reported another outbreak in livestock in DENARAN village, twenty out of 600 livestock has died of confirmed anthrax during previous 10-15 days.
On 2nd September; the veterinary department launched vaccination campaign against anthrax for livestock for 30km radiation in the affected region including 50 villages, other measures taken to control the spread of the disease included banning livestock movement, strict measures for slaughtering and butchering and public awareness, the mentioned memo received by health general directorate on 8th September.
On 9th September; a team composed of director of preventive health department, CDC surveillance officer, WHO medical Officer, Bardarash Health sector director, and the near by village’s primary health care doctor visited the affected village DENARAN.
The team applied personal protection measures, interviewed the nomad leader and available people, they oriented about the prevention and control of anthrax in human, measures to be taken in regards to diseased or died animals, and the team searched for active cases.
The team visited the local administration of nearby sub-district; QASROK, of SHEKHAN district, carried out a meeting with the local authorities, senior veterinary doctor, and district veterinary doctor, Police and Security chiefs, primary health care doctor, the preventive health assistant and media people of QASROK, ROVIA sub-districts.
At the noon of same day a similar meeting carried out in Akra district chaired by AKRE Mayor, on 13 September same meeting conducted in Bardersh district chaired by Bardersh Mayor, in these meeting had been decided to take immediate and urgent preventive and control measures to control the outbreak of anthrax in animal and humans. The measures include broadcasting educational messages, meeting with religious leaders, butchers, livestock movement restrictions, awareness to not consume meat of vaccinated animals, active case search and record review for anthrax cases. Duhok governorate health high committee under supervision of Duhok Governorate and Mayor with related directorate is in continuous monitoring of the situation.
On 10th September; the first suspected case reported among the same people; a male-15, student, with date of onset on 8th September, swab taken and treated accordingly, a day after further 2 cases; a female, 12, and a male, 36, were reported among the same nomad with date of onset mid of August, these cases got the disease in GIRGORAN village.
Last outbreak of cutaneous anthrax reported during September and October 2008, 42 cases reported in AKRE district, and in 2007, there were three cases of cutanous anthrax in Zakho district. Further details about the cases, lab results, situation and measures will be reported soon.
Figure 1: Cutaneous Anthrax cases reported, DENARAN village, Bardarash district, Duhok, Sept 2009
Figure 2: Spot map for anthrax cases (n=30), Denaran village, Bardarash, Duhok 2009
Figure 3: Location of villages described in anthrax report, Duhok, 2009
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