An unexplained disease that has caused scores of Kenyans, Somalis and livestock to bleed to death this month may be a form of anthrax, medical experts said Sunday.
"At the moment, the evidence that we have agrees the most with an outbreak of anthrax," said Dr. Douglas Klaucke, acting World Health Organization representative in Kenya.The evidence includes symptoms - high fever, diarrhea, intestinal problems, vomiting blood - that are similar to those of intestinal anthrax, a rare manifestation of the illness that causes stomach ulcers and inflames the intestines.
Another sign that anthrax may be to blame is that the disease can be contracted by eating undercooked, infected meat - a common practice in Somalia and Kenya where recent flooding has marooned thousands of people who are eating carcasses of sick animals, Klaucke said.
Twelve possible diseases are being investigated, including yellow fever and dengue.