Aug 20 2006
Health officials in the UK say a man who died from an infection is believed to have been killed by the rare anthrax bug.
The man, who lived in the Scottish borders, was known locally as Christopher "Pascal" Norris.
Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis and most commonly occurs in wild animals such as cattle, sheep and goats but can also occur in humans when they are exposed to infected animals.
The disease is more likely to be found in animals in South and central America, south and east Europe, Asia and Africa.
The man's home has apparently been sealed off in case there is any risk of anthrax spores in the environment and an incident control team has been set up at Black Lodge, in Stobs, Hawick, in the Scottish Borders where the man lived.
The victim, 50, who worked with materials such as untreated hides, died on July 8 in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after a very short illness and a series of tests at laboratories in England have identified anthrax as the most likely cause for the septicaemia.
Health authorities in Scotland say anthrax is a difficult disease to contract and is not passed from person to person and the general public are not at any risk.
Members of his family are receiving treatment as a precaution and authorities are trying to trace the man's other relatives and any individuals known to have access to the building.
They have also asked anyone who visited his home before July 17 this year to contact local health officials for further information.
Anthrax is uncommon in humans in the UK, with only a few cases recorded in the last decade.
The last confirmed case of anthrax in Scotland was in 1987 and affected a young girl who later recovered.
The man's death is believed to be the first fatal case of the rare and deadly anthrax bug in Scotland for 35 years.
Anthrax can form spores which can either be eaten in contaminated meat, breathed in, or infect the skin directly through human-to-animal contact.
The symptoms of the disease are often difficult to distinguish from other, less serious infections, such as flu.
In more than 95% of cases the infection is caught by direct contact with the skins or tissues of infected animals, according to Health Protection Scotland.
At highest risk are those who directly handle dead animals, such as abattoir workers and tanners.
The other two forms of the disease - inhalation and intestinal anthrax - are much more rare.