Anthrax

At a glance

No vaccine available – read more about prevention
Nationally notifiable disease

About anthrax

Anthrax is a rare but serious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis.

The bacterium form spores which can survive for a long period of time. The spores can be found in soil or contaminated fluids and carcasses or products from infected animals – such as sheep, cattle and goats.

There are 3 types:

skin (cutaneous) anthrax
intestinal anthrax
lung (inhalational) anthrax.

The type of illness depends on how the spores enter the body.

Why it matters to public health

Anthrax is always serious and can cause death.

There is a risk of Bacillus anthracis being misused in an act of bioterrorism or biocrime. Because of this, the Australian Government regulates its handling.

We work with colleagues across multiple sectors to support a coordinated One Health approach to protect Australia against anthrax.

Disease patterns

Anthrax is rare in Australia. Only a few people have ever been diagnosed here – all with skin anthrax.

These have occurred in a region known as the ‘anthrax belt’ that extends from Victoria, through western New South Wales and into southern Queensland.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

Symptoms of skin anthrax can include:

an itchy lump that is usually painless
a lump that develops into a blister and then a black, sunken sore
redness and swelling around the affected area.

If untreated, skin anthrax can spread to the lymph nodes.

Symptoms of intestinal anthrax can include:

abdominal pain
nausea
vomiting, including with blood
fever
severe diarrhoea.

Symptoms of lung anthrax can include:

Meningitis or sepsis can occur as complications of anthrax.

Read more about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of anthrax.

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a health professional.

Check your symptoms

Onset of symptoms

For all types of anthrax, symptoms usually begin within 7 days of exposure to the spores. But this may be longer, especially for lung anthrax.

How it spreads

Skin anthrax is caused when anthrax spores enter broken skin. This can happen when a person handles contaminated fluids, products or carcasses from infected animals – usually grazing livestock. This can include:

wool
hair
hide
bones.

Intestinal anthrax is caused by eating raw or undercooked meat from infected animals.

Lung anthrax can occur after breathing in anthrax spores.

Infectious period

Anthrax does not spread between people.

Anthrax spores remain dormant in the soil and can survive for many years.

Prevention

Vaccination

There is no anthrax vaccine available for people in Australia.

Other prevention steps

The best ways to protect against anthrax are to:

avoid handling sick or dead animals where there is a possibility of anthrax
wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) if you need to handle animals, carcasses or animal products that might be contaminated
wash hands thoroughly and shower after handling animals, animal products or potentially contaminated materials
cover cuts, scratches and other broken skin with waterproof dressings
ensure meat is properly prepared and cooked.

If you suspect anthrax in an animal, do not touch or move the animal and immediately contact the 24-hour Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Priority groups

People at greater risk of severe disease

Anybody with anthrax is at risk of severe disease.

People at greater risk of exposure

People might be at greater risk of being exposed to anthrax if they:

work with livestock, animal carcasses or animal products
are laboratory workers who handle anthrax bacteria
travel to places where anthrax is more common.

Diagnosis and treatment

You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.

Find a health service

Healthcare professionals can diagnose skin anthrax by taking a sample from a skin lesion or wound for laboratory testing.

Other types of anthrax might be diagnosed by testing:

blood
stool
spinal fluid (lumbar puncture).

Anthrax is treated with antibiotics as soon as possible.

People with severe symptoms may need care in a hospital.

Surveillance and reporting

Australia takes a One Health approach to surveillance of anthrax.

Anthrax in animals is a nationally notifiable disease – suspected or confirmed cases must be reported to state and territory animal health authorities.

Anthrax in people is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

Health authorities in each state and territory report new confirmed cases to us through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

This is part of national surveillance to monitor case numbers and understand disease patterns.

Use our data visualisation tool to search the latest data.

Read the anthrax surveillance case definition.

Support

For information about anthrax in your state or territory, see:

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.

Key resources

Read more resources for professionals on anthrax: