The Anthrax Disease
By: Daija Hassell
What is anthrax?
Anthrax is a disease that is made from bacteria. This bacteria is known as Bacillus Anthracis.
How it is transmittied
There are several ways you can get anthrax. One way is through direct contact. An example is touching an animal or from very contaminated soil. Another way is through an open cut in the skin. The last and most fatal way is through powder.
Anthrax
Syptoms of anthrax
As you now know there are different ways that you can get this disease. Since there are different ways to be infected, there are different symptoms. When hit with direct contact you will experience a small bump appear much like a bug bite. Soon after the bump will become black and have lymph glands. All of this will happen in about a week. When anthrax invades a body within a cut you might have nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains, headaches, loss of appetite, fever, bloody diarrhea. when inhaled you may see flu-like symptoms (sore throat, muscle ache, and mild fever) chest discomfort, shortness of breath, nausea, coughing up blood, and painful swallowing.
How is anthrax traeted?
In its early stages it can easily be treated with antibiotics. Most patients see a doctor when the disease becomes very sever, and the vaccine can't fight against the toxians.
How you can prevent from getting the disease
You can get a vaccine named Biothrax, it uses the disease itself to cure. The downside to this vaccine is that is limited to people who only work in places were there is a risk of getting anthrax.
Some intresting facts
The anthrax vaccine is not avaluble to the public is because the vaccine have had little success in actually curing anthrax. During the anthrax terrorist attack there was 250 lbs. of anthrax spores over Washington. After the anthrax attack scientist did examinations on some of the survivors and got most of the information we know today.