Scholarly Analysis of the Zoonotic Disease, Free Paper

According to Moayeri et al. (2015), anthrax is a serious infectious disease which is linked to Bacillus anthracis, a rod-shaped, gram-positive bacteria. The bacteria that causes anthrax naturally inhabits the soil where it affects both wild and domestic animals. These animals are infected with the disease through breathing and ingestion of spores contaminated with the bacteria. Even though the disease is rear in the USA, a person can contract it if he or she comes in contact with an infected animal or if he or she consumes products of such an animal. Anthrax has been found to result in severe illness in the affected individuals as well as animals but is non-contagious (CDC, 2015).

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The uniqueness of anthrax has been attributed to the fact that its causative agent, Bacillus anthracis, is the only bacterium that possesses a capsule of the poly-D-glutamate polypeptide (Jeon et al., 2015; Murray, Rosenthal, & Pfaller, 2013; Murray, Rosenthal, & Pfaller, 2015). This capsule cannot undergo phagocytosis. Hence poly-D-glutamate polypeptide is one of the principal virulence factors of Bacillus anthracis (Toy et al., 2014) thus gaining a foothold inside the host. According to Friebe, van der Goot, and Burgi (2016), three subunits of anthrax toxin exist. They include protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF). On an individual basis, each of these subunits is not harmful. However, when they combine, they attack the lungs. Specifically, PA aids in the neutralization of antitoxin antibodies, edema factor protein helps in bolstering the virulence while LF is responsible for cell death. After EF seeks out the cell, the cells are injected with toxins which kills the cells. After the bacteria has produced enough toxins, it causes death because antibiotics cannot neutralize the toxin because of the presence of bacterium's protective antigen.

Anthrax is a disease of public importance and is placed as a high priority disease based on the CDC norms, because it is easily disseminated, has high mortality rates, and high epidemic potential (Goel, 2015). Because of this, the disease requires special preparedness. Anthrax is also a disease of public health concern because of its potential use in bioterrorism (CDC, 2014). According to CDC (2014), anthrax is highly likely to be used as a biological terrorism agent because they are readily available in nature, can also be developed in a laboratory, and is capable of lasting for long in the environment. Also, its potential use as a biological weapon because it can be released to the environment quietly without anyone ever noticing. Its spores can be added to water, food, sprays, and powders. Lastly, because anthrax has been used in the past as a biological weapon, there is a need for preparedness. Mohammed (2018) further noted that anthrax is a disease of public health importance because of its potential use in bio-warfare because it can be quickly spread as an aerosol. Consequently, any new case of anthrax should be examined on this basis, especially if such cases involve pulmonary anthrax (Mohammed, 2018).

Animal-Human Disease Transmission Process

In the current scenario, the transmission of anthrax from cattle to human beings would have occurred in two ways. First, anthrax spores are likely to have entered the body of the victims through inhalation. This category is referred to as inhalation anthrax. According to CDC (2014), inhalation anthrax is developed when an individual breathes in anthrax spores. In the current scenario, individuals might have inhaled spores contained fur of the cattle. Inhalation anthrax has been reported to begin in the chest's lymph nodes before it spreads to other body parts resulting in breathing complications and shock (CDC, 2014). Inhalation anthrax has been found to be the deadliest form of anthrax, with infection developing within a week following inhalation of the spores. However, it can take up to 2 months.

Secondly, transmission of the disease might have occurred through the handling of contaminated animal products. In such instances, the spores enter the body through cuts or scrapes on the skin (CDC, 2014). This is known as cutaneous anthrax. This type of anthrax is commonly found on the hands, forearms, neck, and head. The manifestation of the disease occurs between 1 to 7 days following exposure.

Public Health Roles and Responsibilities Needed to Prevent and Respond to the Event

Public health professionals should ensure that any further spread of anthrax is stopped following an outbreak of the disease. One of the ways in which health professionals could assist in curbing the spread of the disease in the current scenario is by collaborating with veterinary officers in creating awareness and supervise control measures. For instance, public health officials should teach the affected community members ways of safely handling animal products of the sick animals such as discarding of milk. Also, health care professionals should provide the members of the community with sodium hydroxide solution for disinfection of burns and fences (Mohammed, 2018).

In households, people should also be made aware that boiling of utensils for 30 minutes is useful in the killing of spores. Moreover, medical staff should supply the affected individuals with 3% acetic solution for the killing of surface soil spores. Furthermore, medical personnel should advise the affected people to vaccinate susceptible cattle and practice quarantine to stop further spread of the disease. There is also a need for public health officials to forge new partnerships with emergency response agencies with the aim of communicating life-saving information to the affected population.

Another response strategy that can be utilized by public health officials is the administration of treatments. The two treatment approaches include antibiotics and antitoxins. Specifically, intravenous antibiotics are used to treat all types of anthrax infections (CDC, 2016). Other treatment options available to healthcare professionals for treatment of systemic anthrax include a combination intravenous antimicrobial administered for at least 2 weeks, antimicrobials capable of inhibiting bacteria and protein synthesis, and a minimum of 3 antimicrobials capable of penetrating the blood as well as the brain for treatment of anthrax meningitis (Pillai et al., 2015). Lastly, Huang et al. (2015) have recommended the use of anthrax antitoxin in the treatment of anthrax. However, antitoxin therapy should be used along with intravenous antimicrobials (Huang et al., 2015).

The local, state and federal public health agencies should collaborate in curbing the spread of anthrax. Such collaboration should be rooted in mutual respect. For instance, when a local health agency has identified a healthcare scare (such as anthrax) that it is not capable of handling, it should seek support from the state local health departments. The state public health departments should actively engage with local health departments within their regions and provide them with technical assistance in areas like control of the spread of zoonotic diseases. In the case of the anthrax outbreak, the state public health agencies offer local healthcare staff with the training needed to impart them with knowledge and skills necessary for curbing the spread of the disease. In a case where the state public health agencies have been overwhelmed by anthrax outbreak, help should be sought from the federal public health agencies. This is because the federal agencies are better equipped in combatting such emergencies.

Some of the support resources needed to combat anthrax include medicines or drugs (such as vaccines, antibiotics, and antitoxins), labs for testing and confirmation of the disease, healthcare volunteers for the administration of treatment, and veterinary officers. The healthcare volunteers are needed in actual point of distribution operations, where the public go to pick their emergency supply after the outbreak. Additionally, medically trained and community volunteers are needed in this scenario as they will help the hospitals to cope with the rising increase in the number of patients in the local hospitals following anthrax outbreak (Werntz, 2018). It has been noted that during emergencies, hospitals are likely to be overwhelmed by a high number of actual patients and worried individuals (Werntz, 2018). Also, resources such as drugs and labs are necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Additionally, veterinary officers are important in curbing further spread of the disease by vaccinating and quarantining of affected cattle.

Public Health Disease Control and Community Protection Procedures

The community can assist healthcare professionals in controlling the spread of the disease by avoiding cattle products such as meat and milk. According to Mohammed (2018), by safely handling animal products of the sick animals, such as by discarding of milk the spread of the disease can be curbed. Avoiding these products will reduce infection because the causative agent is found in meat and milk. Another control measure is that community members should be at the forefront in the disinfection of surfaces and fences that are likely to have harboured the anthrax bacteria using sodium hydroxide solutions. Besides, by ensuring that community members boil their utensils, the spread of the disease can be controlled.

Following the outbreak of the disease, the local healthcare officers will conduct laboratory tests from specimens obtained from the patients to establish the nature of the disease as well as the causative agent. After positively identifying the disease, control measures are put in place to prevent further spread such as through quarantine and isolation of those infected with it. After isolation of the patients, antibiotics and antitoxins treatments can be administered (CDC, 2016). Also, the spread of the disease can be curbed through proper disposal of the animals, e.g. through incineration or burying of the dead animals. Lastly, public health professionals should be at the forefront of creating awareness and educating the public on effective ways of curbing the spread of the disease.

A Summary/Conclusion and Recommendations for Positive Change

Anthrax is as a high priority disease based on the CDC norms because it is easily disseminated has high mortality rates, and high epidemic potential (Goel, 2015). As a result, the disease requires special preparedness to contain it once an infection has been positively identified to have occurred through lab tests. The disease is also of public health significance because of its potential of being used in bioterrorism.

Because of the potential adverse health impacts of the virus, the following recommendations for positive social change are made: domestic animals should be vaccinated against the disease; once a person has been diagnosed with the disease, he or she should be immediately administered antibiotics; individuals who are at risk of being infected with the disease should be administered Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed which offers protection against the disease; and disinfectants should be used to kill anthrax spores at homes.

References

CDC (2014). Inhalation anthrax. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/anthrax/basics/types/inhalation.html#

CDC (2014). The threat. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/anthrax/bioterrorism/threat.html

CDC (2015). Basic information. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/anthrax/basics/index.html

CDC(2016). Treatment. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/anthrax/medical-care/treatment.html

Friebe, S., van der Goot, F. G., & Burgi, J. (2016). The ins and outs of anthrax toxin. Toxins, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins8030069

Goel, A. K. (2015). Anthrax: A disease of biowarfar...