A state of emergency has been declared in a village in south Russia's Krasnodar Territory over an anthrax outbreak, a spokeswoman for the region's governor said on Monday.
Anthrax was detected in cows at a local dairy farm, and the region's emergencies service reported earlier in the day that at least two employees had contracted the potentially lethal disease. The local sanitary watchdog later dismissed the reports.
"A state of local-scale emergency was declared on the territory of the Uspenskaya Village. The outbreak was localized and the disease was prevented from spreading," Alyona Vnukova said.
At least 30 farm employees who came in contact with sick animals were placed under medical supervision, but their tests returned negative.
The farm has been placed under quarantine, and vets are checking to see if privately kept cows contracted the infection.
Anthrax affects both wild mammals and domestic cattle that ingest or inhale the bacterial spores while grazing. Humans can contract the disease if they are exposed to the blood or tissue of infected animals. It can be highly lethal, but in some forms responds well to antibiotics.
KRASNODAR, September 27 (RIA Novosti)
