The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDPC) defines anthrax as a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. These bacteria form spores that can survive in the environment for decades. As such, says the ECDPC, grass-eating animals are often the reservoirs for the disease.
The disease is endemic in several regions of the world, including southern and eastern Europe, it adds.
SOUTH AFRICA
According to South Africa's National Institute for Health (NIH), anthrax in South Africa, however, compared with anthrax in countries such as France and Australia, displays certain characteristics.
For starters, here it is largely associated with cattle, rather than sheep. It adds, however, that due to extensive farming systems, it could be difficult to detect anthrax in sheep. In a study, the NIH adds that anthrax is particularly common
