Anthrax in Ethiopia

Twenty-seven patients with cutaneous anthrax were identified over a three-year period at Gondar College of Medical Sciences in North Central Ethiopia. Nine patients who delayed seeking medical care presented with severe symptoms and three patients died. Eighteen patients were clustered within four families in which an attack rate of 32% occurred. Ninety-three percent of patients could trace their disease to exposure to the products of a specific diseased animal. Characteristics of anthrax in Ethiopia include a known exposure to diseased animals, occurrence within families, frequent treatment by local healers, and high morbidity and mortality.