On Friday, the Russian Ministry of Health warned that four patients with anthrax, who were taken to a hospital in the Tuva region, southern Siberia, escaped without medical clearance and are on the run.
The four escapees were part of a group of five people being treated for the disease, which is caused by infection with the bacteria Bacillus anthracis.
Four patients hospitalized for ataxia refused treatment at the Regional Hospital for Infectious Diseases and left the health unit without permission. One patient is still receiving treatment,” the Ministry of Health explained in a statement carried by TASS.
According to the doctors who followed the cases, the five are in good health, but according to the health rules, they can only be discharged after all manifestations of the disease on the skin have healed. The Russian health authorities say: “Transmission of infection from one person to another is rare, but possible, especially if the wounds on the patient’s skin have not healed.”
The outbreak originated in the herdsmen’s camp in that area, in the village of Bzektig Khaya, where there were more than 100 unvaccinated animals.
Remember that Atrax is transmitted by spores that can remain in the soil for several years. The disease affects humans and mammals.
