Dangerous but Not As Contagious as the Flu, Here Are Three High-Risk Groups of Anthrax!

BONSERNEWS.com – Although dangerous and deadly, most people will never get anthrax.

Anthrax is not contagious, which means you can’t catch it from other people like you have a cold or the flu.

However, there are activities that can put some people at greater risk of exposure than others, including:

1. Laboratory professional workers
Laboratory workers handling anthrax may be at risk of exposure if proper safety precautions are not followed.

2. People who handle animal products
Although rare, people can get anthrax after contact with infected animals or their products, such as wool, skin, or hair.

For this reason, people in certain occupations, such as veterinarians, farmers, livestock producers, and others who handle animals and animal products may be at increased risk of exposure.

3. Postal/expeditionary officers, military personnel, and response workers
Certain workers may be exposed to anthrax in the event of a bioterrorist attack, both during an attack and in response to an emergency.

Workers at risk include mail handlers (if spores are sent by mail), law enforcement officials, healthcare workers, decontamination officers, and critical infrastructure workers who can be exposed to airborne spores (aerosols), depending on how the spores are spread.

4. Tourists
Anthrax can be found naturally in soil and commonly infects domestic and wild animals worldwide.

But cases are most common in agricultural areas of Central and South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and southwest Asia, Southern and Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean.

Travelers should pay attention to what they eat and handle, as well as the souvenirs they bring home.

Avoid eating raw or undercooked meat, and avoid contact with livestock, animal products and animal carcasses.

If you do not belong to the three groups above, your risk of getting anthrax is very small.

Make sure to always cook meat thoroughly to prevent transmission of anthrax.()