219 anthrax cases cured in Vietnam

219 anthrax cases cured in Vietnam

VIETNAM: Doctors have diagnosed 219 people infected with anthrax in Vietnam over the past five years, but all were cured, an official in Hanoi said on Friday.

Most of the patients, mainly from northern mountainous provinces populated by ethnic minority groups, contracted anthrax by eating animals which had died from the disease, the official from the Central Hygiene and Epidemiology Institute said.

He said 45 anthrax cases were reported in 1996, 59 in 1997, 30 in 1998, 58 in 1999 and 27 in 2000. None has been reported so far this year, he said.

Anthrax symptoms include fever, vomiting, fatigue and black skin lesions, he said.

The official said the disease can be cured if diagnosed early and treated with antibiotics for three to five days. --AP