A quarantine has been imposed in two villages in the Atbasar district of the Akmola region due to an ongoing outbreak of anthrax. 19 people were infected as a result of grazing livestock near a livestock burial ground, and one victim is in a serious condition. The quarantine measures will last for a minimum of 15 days until negative soil test results are received.
The outbreak began at the end of June in the village of Magdalinovka, when the first five cases of anthrax infection were detected. The source of the disease was contact with infected meat during the butchering of a carcass. The first person admitted to the district hospital on 27 June was a herdsman from a local farm, who fell ill on 24 June but only sought medical help three days later. The man was butchering the carcass of an infected animal for personal consumption. Later, four other villagers were also found to be infected.
At that time, more than ten people went to the hospital with similar symptoms — these cases continued to be investigated. The Minister of Healthcare, Akmaral Alnazarova, stated that a quarantine was not planned, as the infected meat had been seized and all necessary measures were being taken by the ministries of agriculture and healthcare.
However, the situation continued to develop. The Minister of Agriculture, Aidarbek Saparov, reported on the current state of affairs at a briefing, as reported by the Kazinform news agency. According to him, the source of the infection was a site where animals that had died from anthrax were previously buried. Local residents were grazing livestock in close proximity to this site, which led to the spread of the disease.
The minister stressed that the situation is under control and that the necessary sanitary and veterinary measures are being implemented in the region. After the quarantine is lifted, specialists will take new soil samples to assess the epidemiological situation.