Idaho Vet: Anthrax Doesn’t Pose A Risk To Consumers, General Public

On February 12th, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture confirmed anthrax in a Cassia County beef herd.  ISDA stressed anthrax comes from a naturally occurring bacterium, and while rare in Idaho, occurs with regularly in many other states.

Communication With Your Vet Is Key

Idaho State Veterinarian Dr. Scott Leibsle said anthrax is not passed animal to animal, but rather, the spores are found in livestock’s food.  He said any producer in the Cassia County area concerned about the health of their herd should talk with their veterinarian to see if incorporating the anthrax vaccine is a good move.

"The problem with anthrax is you don't know when it's going to kind of rear up," Leibsle said.  "It usually is precipitated by periods of drought, and then with a little burst of precipitation, but there's really no way to know.  And a lot of times we'll get questions about, well, are we able to test the soil, I mean, you can test the soil if you want, but it's of no value because you can't change out the dirt, you can't clean the soil from the spore, it's going to be there, and it's most likely been in this area of the country for decades.”

ISDA stressed that none of the infected cattle entered the food supply, and there is no threat to food safety.  Leibsle added the likelihood of this becoming a larger problem with proper precautions is very small.

What Do Idaho Producers Need To Change?

"For anyone who runs cattle in that area, you don't have to find new ground, you don't need to throw away your feed, you just need to talk with your veterinarian about timing an annual vaccination for anthrax, you know, administering that to your herd," Leibsle said.  "And you've largely, completely invalidated that risk to your herd.” 

As far has human health is concerned, There are no confirmed human cases in Idaho at this time, and Idaho Public Health stressed that the “risk to the general public is very low."

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