At least 15 people, including two women and a 14-year-old girl, in Koraput district have been infected by anthrax after eating contaminated meat.
While 14 among them are undergoing treatment at home, one was admitted to a hospital, according to official sources
on Friday.
A laboratory test conducted on all the victims, who showed symptoms of illness this week, confirmed that they were infected by anthrax, a bacterial disease that mostly affects animals and at times passes to humans if they eat contaminated meat.
The sources further informed that while nine people, including two females, were infected at Bisarbandha village after eating rotten meat of a buffalo, six others, including a woman, of tribals-populated lugum village, 150 km from Birsabandha, got infected after eating rotten meat of a goat.
Health and Veterinary officials are taking measures to prevent spread of the disease. Besides, rotten meats have been seized and destroyed and cattle have been immunised. An awareness drive has also been launched in other vulnerable places of the district, the official sources said.