At least one person died of anthrax in southern Siberia’s Altai Territory, a spokesman for the region’s emergencies service said on Sunday.
“Laboratory tests by Rospotrebnadzor specialists confirmed the infection in three people, one of them died,” the spokesman said.
The victim, who died on Saturday, apparently became infected after handling the carcass of a sick cow. Doctors said he sought medical aid only a week after developing anthrax symptoms, when it was too late.
The man’s 11-year-old son was also infected and is now under medical supervision.
The Druzhba village with a population of 740, where all the three cases had been registered, was quarantined and vaccination ordered for all animals. Stray animals are also being killed to contain the outbreak.
Seven people were hospitalized. People who came in contact with infected cattle are receiving preventive therapy. The infection is not transmitted from human to human.
Russia’s chief sanitary official Gennady Onishchenko said local health authorities managed to contain the outbreak.
“The situation is under control. A total of 32 people contacted with sick animals, all of them are under medical supervision. As of August 26, seven people were hospitalized,” Onishchenko said.