Editing Anthrax (section)

== Epidemiology ==
Globally, at least 2,000 cases occur a year.<ref name=Glob2016/>

=== United States ===
The last fatal case of natural inhalational anthrax in the United States occurred in California in 1976, when a home weaver died after working with infected wool imported from Pakistan. To minimize the chance of spreading the disease, the body was transported to [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]] in a sealed plastic body bag within a sealed metal container for autopsy.<ref name="Suffin1978">{{cite journal | vauthors = Suffin SC, Carnes WH, Kaufmann AF | title = Inhalation anthrax in a home craftsman | journal = Human Pathology | volume = 9 | issue = 5 | pages = 594–97 | date = September 1978 | pmid = 101438 | doi = 10.1016/S0046-8177(78)80140-3 }}</ref>

Gastrointestinal anthrax is exceedingly rare in the United States, with only two cases on record. The first case was reported in 1942, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<ref name="boston.com">{{cite news | vauthors = Schweitzer S |date=4 January 2010 |title=Drummer's anthrax case spurs a public health hunt |newspaper=The Boston Globe |url=https://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/01/04/nh_anthrax_case_linked_to_animal_skinned_drums/ |access-date=19 October 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214142749/http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/01/04/nh_anthrax_case_linked_to_animal_skinned_drums/ |archive-date=14 December 2013 }}</ref> During December 2009, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services confirmed a case of gastrointestinal anthrax in an adult female. The [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|CDC]] investigated the source and the possibility that it was contracted from an African drum recently used by the woman taking part in a [[drum circle]].<ref name="promedmail.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:747000751311471::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,80634 |title=PROMED: Anthrax, Human – USA: (New Hampshire) |publisher=Promedmail.org |date=26 December 2009 |access-date=17 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927141758/http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400%3A1001%3A747000751311471%3A%3ANO%3A%3AF2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE%2CF2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID%3A1000%2C80634 |archive-date=27 September 2011 }}</ref> The woman apparently inhaled anthrax, in spore form, from the hide of the drum. She became critically ill, but with gastrointestinal anthrax rather than inhaled anthrax, which made her unique in American medical history. The building where the infection took place was cleaned and reopened to the public and the woman recovered. The New Hampshire state epidemiologist, Jodie Dionne-Odom, stated "It is a mystery. We really don't know why it happened."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:130058575417351::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,82333 |title=PROMED: Anthrax, Human – USA: (New Hampshire) |publisher=Promedmail.org |date=18 April 2010 |access-date=17 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927142617/http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400%3A1001%3A130058575417351%3A%3ANO%3A%3AF2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE%2CF2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID%3A1000%2C82333 |archive-date=27 September 2011 }}</ref>

In 2007 two cases of cutaneous anthrax were reported in [[Danbury, Connecticut]]. The case involved a maker of traditional African-style drums who was working with a goat hide purchased from a dealer in New York City which had been previously cleared by Customs. While the hide was being scraped, a spider bite led to the spores entering the bloodstream. His son also became infected.<ref>{{cite news |vauthors=Kaplan T |title=Anthrax Is Found in 2 Connecticut Residents, One a Drummer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/nyregion/06anthrax.html |access-date=16 May 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=6 September 2007 |archive-date=24 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124102002/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/nyregion/06anthrax.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Croatia ===
In July 2022, dozens of cattle in a nature park in [[Lonjsko Polje]], a flood plain by the [[Sava]] river, died of anthrax and 6 people have been hospitalized with light, skin-related symptoms.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Croatia: Anthrax found in dead cattle in nature park |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/croatia-anthrax-found-in-dead-cattle-in-nature-park/2022/07/16/814e4cea-0523-11ed-8beb-2b4e481b1500_story.html |access-date=19 July 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=16 July 2022 |archive-date=22 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722102814/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/croatia-anthrax-found-in-dead-cattle-in-nature-park/2022/07/16/814e4cea-0523-11ed-8beb-2b4e481b1500_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
In November 2008, a drum maker in the United Kingdom who worked with untreated animal skins died from anthrax.<ref>{{cite news |title=Man who breathed in anthrax dies |newspaper=BBC News |date=2 November 2008 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7705328.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307095059/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7705328.stm |archive-date=7 March 2016 }}</ref> In December 2009, an outbreak of anthrax occurred among heroin addicts in the [[Glasgow]] and [[Stirling]] areas of Scotland, resulting in 14&nbsp;deaths.<ref name=":2">{{cite news |url=http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/giz/anthrax-outbreak/anthrax-outbreak-report-2011-12.pdf |title=An Outbreak of Anthrax Among Drug Users in Scotland, December 2009 to December 2010 |series=A report on behalf of the National Anthrax Outbreak Control Team |work=HPS |date=December 2011 |access-date=14 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020040629/http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/giz/anthrax-outbreak/anthrax-outbreak-report-2011-12.pdf |archive-date=20 October 2013 }}</ref> The source of the anthrax is believed to have been dilution of the heroin with [[bone meal]] in Afghanistan.<ref name=":3">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/health/12glob.html |title=Anthrax: In Scotland, six heroin users die of anthrax poisoning |newspaper=The New York Times |date=12 January 2010 | vauthors = McNeil Jr DG |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102002459/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/health/12glob.html |archive-date=2 January 2016 }}</ref>