North Dakota’s state veterinarian Dr. Susan Keller says the state’s first reported case of anthrax this year was found in Morton county this week and confirmed by the NDSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
This is a reminder to livestock producers to take action to protect their animals from the disease, especially in areas with a past history of the disease.
Anthrax is caused by bacterial spores that can lie dormant in the ground for decades and become active under ideal conditions, such as heavy rainfall, flooding, and drought. Animals are exposed to the disease when they graze or consume forage or water contaminated with the spores.
Dr. Keller encourages producers in past known affected areas and counties to consult with their veterinarians to make sure the vaccination schedule for their animals are current.
Effective anthrax vaccines are readily available, but it takes about a week for immunity to be established, and it must be administered annually for continued protection. Producers should monitor their herds for unexplained deaths and work with their veterinarian to ensure appropriate samples are collected and submitted to a diagnostic lab to give the best chance of obtaining a diagnosis.
Anthrax has been most frequently reported in northeast, southeast and south-central North Dakota, but it has been found in almost every part of the state.
An anthrax factsheet is available on the North Dakota Department of Agriculture website at www.nd.gov/ndda/disease/anthrax.
