State Agencies Issue Anthrax Advisory
AUSTIN--The Texas Animal Health Commission, and Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department have issued a summer and early fall alert for ranchers, hunters and
anyone who may be going afield in Texas. One case of anthrax has been
confirmed in a white-tailed deer herd on a game ranch in Uvalde County, which is
in an area of South Texas endemic to anthrax. Although humans are also
susceptible, no cases have been reported to date, and simple precautions can
effectively reduce the risks of humans contracting the disease.
Anthrax is a bacterial disease of sheep, goats, cattle, horses, deer and other
animals. The bacteria which cause anthrax can remain dormant in the soil for
many years. A period of drought followed by heavy rains frequently occurs just
before the appearance of anthrax in livestock and deer. Animals that eat the
rapidly growing grasses also consume soil that contains the bacteria. Currently,
soil conditions are right to produce more outbreaks around the triangular
geographic area bounded by Uvalde, Ozona and Eagle Pass, which cover
portions of Crockett, Val Verde, Sutton, Edwards, Kinney, and Maverick counties.
Transmission of anthrax to humans can occur whether an affected animal is alive
or has died from the disease. Simple precautions can greatly reduce the risk of
contracting the disease from these animals. Carcasses of dead livestock and
deer should not be cut open to allow blood to escape. Under no circumstances
should the hide, hair, skulls, or horns of an animal suspected of having anthrax
be salvaged, nor should the meat of these animals be eaten.
During an anthrax outbreak, hunters in the affected areas are discouraged from
taking feral hogs because they consume the meat of dead animals and could be
carrying the bacteria. Fortunately, by the time deer hunting season starts, cool
weather usually puts an end to the often seasonal anthrax outbreak. At minimum,
hunters should harvest only healthy-looking deer and other hoof stock. If a deer
has ingested anthrax bacteria, within hours, it will stagger, tremble or exhibit
convulsions, and death is inevitable.
When an area experiences an anthrax outbreak, ranchers should wear long
sleeves and gloves when handling or vaccinating livestock. Afterward, good
sanitation measures should be followed, including hand washing and laundering
of clothing. This aids in preventing contact with the anthrax bacteria which may
have been picked up on the hides of animals. Do not pick up bones, horns or
shed antlers, and pets and children should be kept away from dead animals.
Healthy animals also should be moved from a contaminated pasture during an
outbreak, but must remain on the premise and not hauled down the road to
another pasture.
To prevent additional soil contamination, Texas Animal Health Commission
regulations require that anthrax affected animal carcasses must be burned, until
thoroughly consumed, along with any associated bedding and manure. This
practice prevents wild pigs, coyotes, dogs or other predators from dragging
carcasses (and the accompanying anthrax bacteria) from one pasture to another,
and spilling out the anthrax spores.
TAHC regulations also require that livestock on infected premises be
quarantined for at least 10 days after all the livestock have been vaccinated
against the disease. During this time, anthrax-exposed animals may still die from
the disease, while healthy, vaccinated animals will develop immunity.
All anthrax cases--suspected or laboratory confirmed--must be reported to the
TAHC. The regulatory agency operates a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-550-8242,
with state or federal regulatory veterinarians available at all times to take calls
and work with private veterinary practitioners and producers.
More information about anthrax is available by contacting the TPWD Wildlife
Division at (512) 389-4505, The Texas Animal Health Commission at (512) 719-
0710, or the Zoonosis Control Division, Texas Department of State Health
Services, at (512) 458-7255.
On the net:
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/anthrax/
http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/animal_health/anthrax/anthrax.html
State Agencies Issue Anthrax Advisory
AUSTIN--The Texas Animal Health Commission, and Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department have issued a summer and early fall alert for ranchers, hunters and
anyone who may be going afield in Texas. One case of anthrax has been
confirmed in a white-tailed deer herd on a game ranch in Uvalde County, which is
in an area of South Texas endemic to anthrax. Although humans are also
susceptible, no cases have been reported to date, and simple precautions can
effectively reduce the risks of humans contracting the disease.
Anthrax is a bacterial disease of sheep, goats, cattle, horses, deer and other
animals. The bacteria which cause anthrax can remain dormant in the soil for
many years. A period of drought followed by heavy rains frequently occurs just
before the appearance of anthrax in livestock and deer. Animals that eat the
rapidly growing grasses also consume soil that contains the bacteria. Currently,
soil conditions are right to produce more outbreaks around the triangular
geographic area bounded by Uvalde, Ozona and Eagle Pass, which cover
portions of Crockett, Val Verde, Sutton, Edwards, Kinney, and Maverick counties.
Transmission of anthrax to humans can occur whether an affected animal is alive
or has died from the disease. Simple precautions can greatly reduce the risk of
contracting the disease from these animals. Carcasses of dead livestock and
deer should not be cut open to allow blood to escape. Under no circumstances
should the hide, hair, skulls, or horns of an animal suspected of having anthrax
be salvaged, nor should the meat of these animals be eaten.
During an anthrax outbreak, hunters in the affected areas are discouraged from
taking feral hogs because they consume the meat of dead animals and could be
carrying the bacteria. Fortunately, by the time deer hunting season starts, cool
weather usually puts an end to the often seasonal anthrax outbreak. At minimum,
hunters should harvest only healthy-looking deer and other hoof stock. If a deer
has ingested anthrax bacteria, within hours, it will stagger, tremble or exhibit
convulsions, and death is inevitable.
When an area experiences an anthrax outbreak, ranchers should wear long
sleeves and gloves when handling or vaccinating livestock. Afterward, good
sanitation measures should be followed, including hand washing and laundering
of clothing. This aids in preventing contact with the anthrax bacteria which may
have been picked up on the hides of animals. Do not pick up bones, horns or
shed antlers, and pets and children should be kept away from dead animals.
Healthy animals also should be moved from a contaminated pasture during an
outbreak, but must remain on the premise and not hauled down the road to
another pasture.
To prevent additional soil contamination, Texas Animal Health Commission
regulations require that anthrax affected animal carcasses must be burned, until
thoroughly consumed, along with any associated bedding and manure. This
practice prevents wild pigs, coyotes, dogs or other predators from dragging
carcasses (and the accompanying anthrax bacteria) from one pasture to another,
and spilling out the anthrax spores.
TAHC regulations also require that livestock on infected premises be
quarantined for at least 10 days after all the livestock have been vaccinated
against the disease. During this time, anthrax-exposed animals may still die from
the disease, while healthy, vaccinated animals will develop immunity.
All anthrax cases--suspected or laboratory confirmed--must be reported to the
TAHC. The regulatory agency operates a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-550-8242,
with state or federal regulatory veterinarians available at all times to take calls
and work with private veterinary practitioners and producers.
More information about anthrax is available by contacting the TPWD Wildlife
Division at (512) 389-4505, The Texas Animal Health Commission at (512) 719-
0710, or the Zoonosis Control Division, Texas Department of State Health
Services, at (512) 458-7255.
On the net:
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/anthrax/
http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/animal_health/anthrax/anthrax.html
AUSTIN--The Texas Animal Health Commission, and Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department have issued a summer and early fall alert for ranchers, hunters and
anyone who may be going afield in Texas. One case of anthrax has been
confirmed in a white-tailed deer herd on a game ranch in Uvalde County, which is
in an area of South Texas endemic to anthrax. Although humans are also
susceptible, no cases have been reported to date, and simple precautions can
effectively reduce the risks of humans contracting the disease.
Anthrax is a bacterial disease of sheep, goats, cattle, horses, deer and other
animals. The bacteria which cause anthrax can remain dormant in the soil for
many years. A period of drought followed by heavy rains frequently occurs just
before the appearance of anthrax in livestock and deer. Animals that eat the
rapidly growing grasses also consume soil that contains the bacteria. Currently,
soil conditions are right to produce more outbreaks around the triangular
geographic area bounded by Uvalde, Ozona and Eagle Pass, which cover
portions of Crockett, Val Verde, Sutton, Edwards, Kinney, and Maverick counties.
Transmission of anthrax to humans can occur whether an affected animal is alive
or has died from the disease. Simple precautions can greatly reduce the risk of
contracting the disease from these animals. Carcasses of dead livestock and
deer should not be cut open to allow blood to escape. Under no circumstances
should the hide, hair, skulls, or horns of an animal suspected of having anthrax
be salvaged, nor should the meat of these animals be eaten.
During an anthrax outbreak, hunters in the affected areas are discouraged from
taking feral hogs because they consume the meat of dead animals and could be
carrying the bacteria. Fortunately, by the time deer hunting season starts, cool
weather usually puts an end to the often seasonal anthrax outbreak. At minimum,
hunters should harvest only healthy-looking deer and other hoof stock. If a deer
has ingested anthrax bacteria, within hours, it will stagger, tremble or exhibit
convulsions, and death is inevitable.
When an area experiences an anthrax outbreak, ranchers should wear long
sleeves and gloves when handling or vaccinating livestock. Afterward, good
sanitation measures should be followed, including hand washing and laundering
of clothing. This aids in preventing contact with the anthrax bacteria which may
have been picked up on the hides of animals. Do not pick up bones, horns or
shed antlers, and pets and children should be kept away from dead animals.
Healthy animals also should be moved from a contaminated pasture during an
outbreak, but must remain on the premise and not hauled down the road to
another pasture.
To prevent additional soil contamination, Texas Animal Health Commission
regulations require that anthrax affected animal carcasses must be burned, until
thoroughly consumed, along with any associated bedding and manure. This
practice prevents wild pigs, coyotes, dogs or other predators from dragging
carcasses (and the accompanying anthrax bacteria) from one pasture to another,
and spilling out the anthrax spores.
TAHC regulations also require that livestock on infected premises be
quarantined for at least 10 days after all the livestock have been vaccinated
against the disease. During this time, anthrax-exposed animals may still die from
the disease, while healthy, vaccinated animals will develop immunity.
All anthrax cases--suspected or laboratory confirmed--must be reported to the
TAHC. The regulatory agency operates a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-550-8242,
with state or federal regulatory veterinarians available at all times to take calls
and work with private veterinary practitioners and producers.
More information about anthrax is available by contacting the TPWD Wildlife
Division at (512) 389-4505, The Texas Animal Health Commission at (512) 719-
0710, or the Zoonosis Control Division, Texas Department of State Health
Services, at (512) 458-7255.
On the net:
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/anthrax/
http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/animal_health/anthrax/anthrax.html
State Agencies Issue Anthrax Advisory
AUSTIN--The Texas Animal Health Commission, and Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department have issued a summer and early fall alert for ranchers, hunters and
anyone who may be going afield in Texas. One case of anthrax has been
confirmed in a white-tailed deer herd on a game ranch in Uvalde County, which is
in an area of South Texas endemic to anthrax. Although humans are also
susceptible, no cases have been reported to date, and simple precautions can
effectively reduce the risks of humans contracting the disease.
Anthrax is a bacterial disease of sheep, goats, cattle, horses, deer and other
animals. The bacteria which cause anthrax can remain dormant in the soil for
many years. A period of drought followed by heavy rains frequently occurs just
before the appearance of anthrax in livestock and deer. Animals that eat the
rapidly growing grasses also consume soil that contains the bacteria. Currently,
soil conditions are right to produce more outbreaks around the triangular
geographic area bounded by Uvalde, Ozona and Eagle Pass, which cover
portions of Crockett, Val Verde, Sutton, Edwards, Kinney, and Maverick counties.
Transmission of anthrax to humans can occur whether an affected animal is alive
or has died from the disease. Simple precautions can greatly reduce the risk of
contracting the disease from these animals. Carcasses of dead livestock and
deer should not be cut open to allow blood to escape. Under no circumstances
should the hide, hair, skulls, or horns of an animal suspected of having anthrax
be salvaged, nor should the meat of these animals be eaten.
During an anthrax outbreak, hunters in the affected areas are discouraged from
taking feral hogs because they consume the meat of dead animals and could be
carrying the bacteria. Fortunately, by the time deer hunting season starts, cool
weather usually puts an end to the often seasonal anthrax outbreak. At minimum,
hunters should harvest only healthy-looking deer and other hoof stock. If a deer
has ingested anthrax bacteria, within hours, it will stagger, tremble or exhibit
convulsions, and death is inevitable.
When an area experiences an anthrax outbreak, ranchers should wear long
sleeves and gloves when handling or vaccinating livestock. Afterward, good
sanitation measures should be followed, including hand washing and laundering
of clothing. This aids in preventing contact with the anthrax bacteria which may
have been picked up on the hides of animals. Do not pick up bones, horns or
shed antlers, and pets and children should be kept away from dead animals.
Healthy animals also should be moved from a contaminated pasture during an
outbreak, but must remain on the premise and not hauled down the road to
another pasture.
To prevent additional soil contamination, Texas Animal Health Commission
regulations require that anthrax affected animal carcasses must be burned, until
thoroughly consumed, along with any associated bedding and manure. This
practice prevents wild pigs, coyotes, dogs or other predators from dragging
carcasses (and the accompanying anthrax bacteria) from one pasture to another,
and spilling out the anthrax spores.
TAHC regulations also require that livestock on infected premises be
quarantined for at least 10 days after all the livestock have been vaccinated
against the disease. During this time, anthrax-exposed animals may still die from
the disease, while healthy, vaccinated animals will develop immunity.
All anthrax cases--suspected or laboratory confirmed--must be reported to the
TAHC. The regulatory agency operates a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-550-8242,
with state or federal regulatory veterinarians available at all times to take calls
and work with private veterinary practitioners and producers.
More information about anthrax is available by contacting the TPWD Wildlife
Division at (512) 389-4505, The Texas Animal Health Commission at (512) 719-
0710, or the Zoonosis Control Division, Texas Department of State Health
Services, at (512) 458-7255.
On the net:
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/anthrax/
http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/animal_health/anthrax/anthrax.html
