Cutaneous anthrax: an endemic outbreak in south India.
Although human anthrax has become rare, endemic outbreaks still occur in tropical countries, parts of South America and Europe. We report 23 cases of cutaneous anthrax due to an endemic outbreak of animal and human anthrax in South India. These patients were admitted to our hospital between July 1998 and July 2001. Children outnumbered adults and most of them had lesions on the exposed sites. The majority of patients reported the death of infected animals in the neighbourhood without any direct contact with dead animals. Hence, vector borne transmission was suspected in most of the cases. Diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of a typical ulcer with eschar, Gram-stained smears from ulcers and epidemiological evidence. Except for one fatal case, allTobacco, alcohol, and other drug use among high school students in Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded schools--United States, 2001.
In the United States, use of alcohol and other drugs is associated with the three leading causes of death and disability (i.e., unintentional injuries, primarily from motor vehicle crashes; suicide; and homicide) among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons aged 15-24 years, and tobacco use is associated with the two leading causes of death (i.e., heart disease and cancer) among AI/AN adults. This report presents data about the prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use among high school students at schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The findings indicate that a substantial number of these students engage in behaviors that put them at risk for premature death and