Zoonotic Anthrax Outbreak in Bangladesh: An Urgent Call for an Integrated One Health Control Strategy

Bangladesh continues to experience recurrent zoonotic anthrax outbreaks, particularly in livestock-dense districts where informal slaughtering and gaps in carcass disposal persist. In August-October 2025, a multi-upazila (sub-district) outbreak was reported in Rangpur and Gaibandha district, raising renewed public health concern.

This perspective summarizes preliminary surveillance data published by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), field investigations of local veterinary hospitals, and clinical observations. Human cases were diagnosed based on characteristic cutaneous lesions, epidemiological links to infected animals, and confirmatory bacterial culture of Bacillus anthracis from selected samples.

More than 200 human cutaneous anthrax cases, including two fatalities (in Rangpur), were documented alongside over 200 livestock deaths in Rangpur and Gaibandha, Bangladesh. Most outbreaks were associated with the slaughtering and consumption of meat from sick animals, while improper carcass disposal likely contributed to environmental contamination. The outbreak disrupted rural markets, threatened animal health, and underscored persistent diagnostic limitations at the community/upazila level veterinary hospitals.

The 2025 anthrax event highlights entrenched vulnerabilities within animal health infrastructure, slaughter regulation, and public awareness. Strengthening mass vaccination, coordinated surveillance, safe carcass disposal, and risk communication through an integrated One Health approach is essential to interrupt transmission cycles and prevent environmental persistence of B. anthracis spores in Bangladesh.