Anthrax death sparks London health alert

Anthrax death sparks London health alert

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LONDON, England -- Health experts were on Monday examining the home and workshop of a London drum-maker who died after inhaling anthrax spores while handling imported animal skins.

Fernando Gomez, 35, from east London, had been in intensive care for several days but died on Sunday, hospital officials said.

Gomez's flat was sealed off by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) for examination and checks were taking place at his workshop, which is also in the borough of Hackney.

Seven people who came into contact with the skins received antibiotics as a precautionary measure, the UK's Press Association reported, but the HPA said no one had developed symptoms.

Professor Nigel Lightfoot, the HPA's chief adviser, said local residents were not at risk.

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looks like 1 single isolated incident

Anthrax is an acute disease in humans and animals caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, which is highly lethal in some forms. There are effective vaccines against anthrax, and some forms of the disease respond well to antibiotic treatment.
The anthrax bacillus is one of only a few that can form long-lived spores: in a hostile environment, caused perhaps by the death of an infected host or extremes of temperature, the bacteria become inactive dormant spores which can remain viable for many decades and perhaps centuries. Spores are found on all continents except Antarctica. When spores are inhaled, ingested, or come into contact with a skin lesion on a host they reactivate and multiply rapidly.
Anthrax most commonly infects wild and domesticated herbivorous mammals which ingest or inhale the spores while eating grass or browsing. Ingestion is assumed to be the most common route by which herbivores contract anthrax, but this is as yet unproven. Carnivores living in the same environment may ingest infected animals and become infected themselves. Anthrax can also infect humans when they are exposed to blood and other tissues from infected animals (via inhalation or direct inoculation through broken skin), eat tissue from infected animals, or are exposed to a high density of anthrax spores from an animal's fur, hide, or wool.
Anthrax spores can be grown in vitro and used as a biological weapon. Anthrax does not spread directly from one infected animal or person to another, but spores can be transported by clothing, shoes etc.; and the body of a mammal that died of anthrax can be a very dangerous source of anthrax spores.
The name anthrax comes from anthrakitis, the Greek word for anthracite (coal), in reference to the black skin lesions victims develop in a cutaneous skin infection.

Source :en.wikipedia.org...





edition.cnn.com
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Seems extremely isolated because I heard absolutely nothing about it and I've had Sky News on all day. LOL

Bloody scary thought either way though.

en.wikipedia.org...