MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. Anthrax-infected meat has been seized in the Chuvash Region by employees of Russia’s consumer protection and sanitary watchdog, the Chuvash Region branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Friday.

"It has been established that the infected meat was sold to two local women for personal consumption. By now, all the meat has been found and seized by employees of the consumer protection and sanitary watchdog for further study and disposal. Quarantine measures have been taken in those premises where the meat was stored," it said.

According to investigators, a resident of the village of Staroye Aktashevo slaughtered an anthrax-infected bull from his private farm for meat. The man’s livestock had not undergone veterinary examination and had not been vaccinated against anthrax since 2022. As a result, his neighbor who helped him slaughter the bull, his wife and one more village resident contracted anthrax.

According to earlier reports, a quarantine was imposed on the village. A state of emergency has been declared in the municipal district where the village is located. As well, criminal charges have been filed for violations of veterinary rules resulting in the spread of an epizootic outbreak or other serious consequences due to negligence (Part 1, Article 249 of the Russian Criminal Code). The offense in punishable by up two years in prison.

Anthrax is a bacterial infection caused by the organism Bacillus anthracis. It can be found in grass-eating wild and domestic animals, such as cows and sheep, most often in the agricultural regions of Asia, Africa, South America and parts of Europe (southern and eastern). Diseased animals can spread anthrax to humans, either by direct contact (e.g., inoculation of infected blood to broken skin) or by consumption of a diseased animal's flesh. Anthrax does not spread directly from one infected animal or person to another; it is spread by spores. These spores can be transported by clothing or shoes. There are effective vaccines against anthrax, and some forms of the disease respond well to antibiotic treatment.