Public Health Essay Example: Anthrax in Ontario

Anthrax is an infectious disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a gram positive and rod-shaped bacteria. Anthrax occurs naturally in the soil and affects animals and human beings across the world. Contact with Bacillus anthracis cause severe illness in both animals and humans. Majority of Anthrax outbreak in Canada happened in the southern part of Ontario. Anthrax in Ontario was correlated to effluent-contaminated pastures from textile industries involved in animal materials. The Federal Regulations in 1952 resulted in disinfection of these contaminated materials, which reduced the prevalence of Anthrax in Ontario.

The Probability of Anthrax Exposure

The probability of anthrax occurring in Ontario is based on the exposure to Bacillus anthracis spores. These spores live naturally in the soil or can be carried on the skin or in the wool of animals. The spores are able to survive radiation, drying or heat for long hours. People can breathe, eat, or touch Bacillus anthracis spores. When the spores are ingested, they enter the human body and become activated, multiply, and cause a serious illness. Anthrax spores can also get into the body through skin cuts, causing cutaneous anthrax. This occur when infected and contaminated animals products like hides and wool are handles inappropriately. Cutaneous anthrax may occur on the hands, forearms, neck, and head. Thus, Bacillus anthracis bacteria affect the tissues around the site of infection. Inhalation of Bacillus anthracis spores during industrial processing of animal products that are contaminated can also cause anthrax. People who eat uncooked or raw meat from animals infected with Bacillus anthracis may develop gastrointestinal anthrax. This happens in animals that are not vaccinated regularly and not inspected before slaughtering. Anthrax Infection always develops in approximately 7 days after exposure.

Impact of Anthrax

Depending on the severity of the outbreak, anthrax would result in different impacts such as physical and psychological illness, high mortality rates, decontamination costs, and disruption of the economy. People infected with anthrax would most probably face major health issues, ranging from persistent fatigue, cough, and memory loss to anxiety, depression, and hostility. Most of the victims would be forced to get psychiatric care, thus making then economically unproductive.

Anthrax survivors would have a hard time adjusting to life after infection and would fare worse compared to people with chronic illnesses, in areas such as mental health, bodily pain, and physical functioning. The victims also have high chances of facing psychological distress, because, the aggressive measures used in treating anthrax may be traumatic. For example, treatment of inhaled anthrax may require that patients be assisted in breathing by undergoing a painful procedure of draining fluids from the lungs. Survivors would also have to live with the fear that the disease will re-occur. Cutaneous anthrax, on the other hand, requires that patients take powerful antibiotics that kill and prevent further spreading of the infection.

Additionally, economic costs associated with each type of infection, ranging from hospitalization, post hospitalization care, and outpatient visits costs would be very high. Due to the high costs of hospitalization, there is a high likelihood that case patients (persons with severe symptoms) would be the only ones allowed to utilize medical facilities. Hospital clinics, emergency rooms, and, inpatient facilities would only be accessible to case patients. The remaining, potentially exposed, populations would only receive post exposure prophylaxis in other settings such as community clinics, pharmacies and, private physician offices.

The Overall Risk

Anthrax is a periodic disease that occurs for long, and then unexpectedly reappear in areas where there has been a recorded occurrence. The disease is commonly experienced during the summer. Environmental factors such as excavation and flooding increase the risk of occurrence. Once it has been experienced in any area, the risk becomes higher in the subsequent years due to the increased environmental pollution with spores. Repeated outbreaks of anthrax cases have been experienced in western Ontario. Humans are at a risk of getting anthrax. However, if suitable precautions are taken while handling or moving animal carcasses, infection cases are rare. Humans can become infected when they are exposed to infected animal products.

The disease is only fatal if a person inhales a huge number of spores. Immediately when the spores hit the ground, they remain there, thus the risk of from re-aerosolization is diminutive. Anthrax cannot be spread from person to person and if it travels with the wind, it does not spread over long distances since it follows a narrow path. Therefore, anthrax only affects a limited region and relatively few people.

Anthrax threat letters also contribute to the risk of being infected. In the recent past, there has been an increase in the number of letters containing anthrax that have been sent to government offices and health clinics. Though the letters are very costly and damaging, every incident must be treated with great care.

Anthrax prevention

Health providers can help prevent anthrax by administering antibiotics to people who have been exposed to, but have not yet developed the symptoms. Doxycycline and ciprofloxacin are the most commonly used antibiotics and must be taken for 60 days. Antibiotics prevent infection in someone exposed to anthrax spores, by either killing the anthrax or stopping it from growing. Immunization can also be used on people at a high risk of being infected, for example, animal handlers, and laboratory workers. Animals at risk must be treated with penicillin and promptly immunized after termination of therapy.

Vaccination can also be used as a preventive measure. Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed protect against inhalation and cutaneous anthrax. It can be used for at-risk adults before exposure to anthrax, it is, however, not recommended for children. They should get 5 shots of the vaccine for 18 months to build adequate protection against anthrax.

The community also has a responsibility in anthrax prevention. People should avoid contact with unvaccinated livestock and avoid eating meat that has not been cooked properly. Public health units in Ontario should also provide education to the community members on modes of anthrax transmission and importance of personal cleanliness. Dust control and proper ventilation in hazardous industries, particularly those that handle raw animal products should also be considered.

Anthrax control in livestock is essential for its prevention and spread to people. Once anthrax has been suspected, herads should be vaccinated the farm isolated, dead animals should then be disposed of appropriately to minimize soil contamination. Carcasses of infected animals must be incinerated or deeply buried at the site of death. The buried carcasses should then be covered with quicklime and decontaminated. Hides from animals exposed to anthrax should not be sold to people.

Public Health Mitigate Strategies

Communities and health care units in Ontario can Mitigate anthrax by conducting; decontamination, victim treatment, public information provision, site preparation and monitoring, and, coordination with other public health agencies. Ontario province can come up with mitigation plans to address potential risks in areas of known historical anthrax out brakes. The plan should employ dust control measures like watering areas with anthrax history to reduce windborne transfer of spores to neighboring properties. Veterinarians should also be involved in the project to develop a plan of action that will protect the health of livestock. Animals should get vaccination first incase the owners plan to graze in anthrax infected areas. Communities can also participate in ensuring mitigate measures by minimizing the potential of grazing animals to ingest exposed anthrax spores

Mitigation can also be achieved through rapid detection of the driving force in order to limit early mortality and allow focused prevention and therapeutic responses. Laboratory diagnostic should be the focus for research and development. Likewise, government agencies and health providers in Ontario, require efficient methods of mobilizing medication (both vaccines and antibiotics) and personnel to the affected areas. The protective equipments, medication, and personnel must be employed rapidly to contain and treat anthrax threat. Owners of livestock help in controlling the disease through maintain active immunization of animals at risk and treatment of animal cases.

Implementation of disease mitigation measures (control practices) at different points of the disease diffusion sequence has a great impact on its spread. This blocks spreading to the next unit thus preventing other spreading that would have otherwise occurred along that sequence. Control practices involve activities such as hand washing and decontamination.

Works Cited

Epp, Tasha, et al. "Spatial analysis of an anthrax outbreak in Saskatchewan, 2006." Canadian Veterinary Journal 51.7 (2010): 743.

Migone, Thi-Sau, et al. "Raxibacumab for the treatment of inhalational anthrax." New England journal of medicine 361.2 (2009): 135-144.

Collier, R. John. "Membrane translocation by anthrax toxin." Molecular aspects of medicine 30.6 (2009): 413-422.Tournier, Jean-Nicolas, et al. "Anthrax toxins: a weapon to systematically dismantle the host immune defenses." Molecular aspects of medicine 30.6 (2009): 456-466.

Doganay, Mehmet, Gokhan Metan, and Emine Alp. "A review of cutaneous anthrax and its outcome." Journal of infection and public health 3.3 (2010): 98-105.

Yang, Benjamin. "Scientists begin to understand how anthrax toxins kill." Discovery Medicine (2009).