TBILISI, Georgia ?€” At least 30 people in Georgia have contracted anthrax this year, prompting authorities to step up safety measures, medical officials said Friday.
Naira Gogebashvili, a leading expert at a Tbilisi clinic treating infectious diseases, said some of the patients contracted anthrax due to violations of safety procedures regarding the burial of sick animals.
One patient contracted anthrax while cultivating a potato field.
"I rubbed my hand, and after several hours, I saw that it's covered with sores," he said. "It turned out that a cow that died of anthrax was buried nearby. They conducted a check and found out it was not buried deeply enough."
(AP)