HYDERABAD, Oct 31: Dr. Hussain Bux Kolachi, Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, has said that anthrax was present beneath our feet, building, cottages, laboratories, offices, soil etc.

In a statement faxed to Dawn, he said that soil was the actual reservoir where anthrax lives and survives and contaminates crops and feed plants eaten by the animals.

He said meat, milk, skin, hides, hooves, hair and leather when used touched or eaten, the disease can be contracted by human beings in three forms. These include skin infections, respiratory infection or gastrointestinal symptoms.

Dr. Kolachi said that animal dung and contaminated earth become rich sources for spread of anthrax as it survive for years in soil. He maintained that anthrax was tested as a biological weapon by Japanese on Chinese prisoners during the Second World War and added that 21 countries were listed having some programmes related to development and research of biological weapons.

He said the US was on the top to develop biological weapons from 1980 to 1988 and the Utah University was the first institution in the USA to carry out biological weapon research. He said the same country was now fearing danger of the biological weapon.

He said if anthrax is part of soil then it is globally present and the myth that it is transported from various terrorist centres across the globe is questionable.

He maintained that direct person-to-person spread of anthrax is extremely unlikely as is not contagious.

He said in the desert of Tharparkar, there were 14.4 million animals and the big zoos are also full of animals. He said these are the places where anthrax needs special attention.