E. Africa Illness May Be Anthrax
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NAIROBI, Kenya — An unexplained disease that has caused scores of Kenyans, Somalis and livestock to bleed to death this month may be a form of anthrax, medical experts said Sunday.
“At the moment, the evidence that we have agrees the most with an outbreak of anthrax,” said Dr. Douglas Klaucke, acting World Health Organization representative in Kenya.
The evidence includes symptoms--high fever, diarrhea, intestinal problems, vomiting blood--that are similar to those of intestinal anthrax, a rare manifestation of the illness that causes stomach ulcers and inflames the intestines. Anthrax can also be contracted by eating undercooked, infected meat, Klaucke said.
The tentative anthrax diagnosis has not been confirmed by tests, Klaucke said. Kenyan laboratories were awaiting the delivery of medical supplies needed to test specimens for the disease.
Local reports say up to 245 people and hundreds of livestock have died of the illness in northeastern Kenya. In Somalia, the Red Cross has confirmed the deaths of 42 people who had similar symptoms.
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