Kyrgyzstan has increased veterinary control on the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border after anthrax killed two people in Kazakhstan.
The Kyrgyz Agriculture Ministry said on June 27 that all meat products imported from Kazakhstan would be thoroughly checked by State Sanitary Inspection experts.
Kazakh officials said on June 22 that two villagers in Kazakhstan's central region of Qaraghandy had died from anthrax and that six people were hospitalized with the deadly disease.
Two days later, the Kazakh Health Ministry said an anthrax outbreak had been registered in another region -- East Kazakhstan Oblast, where two local residents had tested positive for anthrax.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), humans as well as domestic and wild animals -- such as cattle, sheep, goats, antelope, and deer -- can become infected by inhaling or ingesting spores in contaminated soil, plants, or water.
The CDC says all types of anthrax infections can cause death if they are not treated with antibiotics.