Central Asia: Officials Struggle to Contain Outbreaks of Anthrax, Typhoid

A winter of hardship has given way to the summer of pestilence in Central Asia. Contagious diseases, such as anthrax and typhoid, are stoking public health crises in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.

Numerous cases of anthrax have been diagnosed in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. On July 14, the Kyrgyz government press service revealed that seven individuals had been diagnosed with anthrax in the Nuken District in southern Jalalabad Province, according to the AKIpress news agency. Prime Minister Igor Chudinov has ordered a special task force, comprising representatives from various government ministries and agencies, to develop a plan to contain the spread of the highly infectious disease. At least one death in Kyrgyzstan has been attributed to the anthrax outbreak.

Kazakhstani authorities have likewise recorded a death attributed to anthrax in Kyzylorda Province. Prior to the current outbreak, the last reported instance of anthrax in the province was in 1968, according to a report distributed by the Ferghana.ru news agency.

Meanwhile in Turkmenistan, officials have ordered a quarantine of Lebap Province, where an outbreak of typhoid has been recorded. The epidemic has steadily spread across the entire province, according to a report distributed by the Khronika Turkmenistana news website. Dozens of cases have been reported in the provincial capital Turkmenabat. Freedom of movement within the province has been restricted as part of the effort to contain the disease, Khronika Turkmenistana reported.

The outbreak presents a test of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov's reformist credentials. Upon coming to power in early 2007, Berdymukhamedov, a dentist by training and a one-time health minister, spoke repeatedly of improving the country's educational and health care systems. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The first cases of typhoid in Lebap Province were evidently reported in May. Local experts, cited by Ferghana.ru, drew a connection between the outbreak and the record-cold winter, saying that the frigid weather caused cracks in pipes, thus allowing dangerous microbes to infiltrate the drinking-water supply.

Uzbekistan, which has so far been untouched by contagion, is introducing urgent measures to protect itself. Border inspections of meat, poultry and milk products have been stepped up. Officials have also vaccinated almost 200,000 head of livestock and 37,000 sheep against infectious diseases, the Trend news agency reported.