Some 88 people have been detected with anthrax in three villages in Bangladesh’s Sirajganj district, 134 km northwest of capital Dhaka, till Sunday, three weeks after they consumed beef from sick cows.

Civil surgeon of the district Nurul Islam was quoted by official news agency BSS on Sunday that 32 people were found in Dhopakandi village of Kamarkhand sub-district and 15 persons at Adachaki village of Belkuchi sub-district of the district.

The disease was first found at Chithulia of Shahjadpur sub- district and later broke out at Kamarkhand and Belkuchi.

The Civil Surgeon said medicine are being distributed free of cost among the infected people since Thursday and the conditions of 41 persons at Chithulia are improving.

Medical teams will be sent to Belkuchi sub-district Monday, he said with apprehension that the number of affected person might rise.

Deputy Commissioner of the district Aminul Islam said the infected cattle should be sent to quarantine and given vaccine.

He said every cattle in those farms and domestic animals also should be examined and start vaccination without farther delay.

Shahjadpur, which is known as cattle market might face huge financial loss due to the spread of the disease.

The country’s largest milk producing company Milkvita is fully dependent on the milk of the cows of Shahjadpur and other adjoining sub-districts, he said

Anthrax commonly infects both wild and domesticated mammals which ingest or inhale the bacterium while grazing. Diseased animals can then spread anthrax to humans, either by direct contact or through consumption of the meat.

Most forms of the anthrax are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals. However, there are effective vaccines against anthrax, and some forms of the disease respond well to antibiotic treatment.