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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 77(5), 2007, pp. 806-811
Copyright © 2007 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Cutaneous Anthrax in the Artibonite Valley of Haiti: 1992–2002

Robert N. Peck AND Daniel W. Fitzgerald*
The Hospital Albert Schweitzer, Deschapelles, Haiti; The Haitian Study Group on Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infection (GHESKIO), Port-au-Prince, Haiti; The Division of International Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY

More cutaneous anthrax cases were noted at Hospital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) in the Artibonite Valley of Haiti. We examine the incidence of anthrax in the Artibonite between 1992 and 2002, describe the clinical presentation of cutaneous anthrax, and determine risk factors for anthrax. In 1992 HAS reported 1 case of anthrax for an incidence of 4 cases per million persons/year. In 2002, there were 20 cases of anthrax for an incidence of 72 cases per million persons/year. This is a 17-fold increase (P = 0.0002). Causes of death from anthrax included asphyxiation from edema of the neck with tracheal compression and concurrent gastrointestinal anthrax. Butchering cattle that had died of illness was identified as a risk factor. The incidence of human anthrax has increased in the Artibonite Valley and is a cause of significant mortality. Control of anthrax in humans depends on improved animal vaccination programs.

Received March 29, 2007. Accepted for publication August 1, 2007.

Acknowledgments: We thank Warren Johnson and Morton Swartz for their assistance in reviewing this manuscript. We also thank Keith Flanagan and Reuben Petit for advice in the area of veterinary medicine and livestock in Haiti.

* Address correspondence to Daniel W. Fitzgerald, 1300 York Avenue, Room A421, New York, NY 10021. E-mail: dfitzgerald{at}gheskio.org

Authors’ addresses: Robert Peck, Daniel W. Fitzgerald, 1300 York Avenue, Room A421, New York, NY 10021, E-mail: dfitzgerald{at}gheskio.org; The Hospital Albert Schweitzer, Deschapelles, Haiti; The Haitian Study Group on Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infection (GHESKIO), Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

We have no conflicts of interest to report.






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Copyright © 2007 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.