ALTUS — A cow in Jackson County died mid-August after being exposed to bovine anthrax, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry confirmed Tuesday.
ODAFF spokesperson Morgan Vance would not specify where in Jackson County the cow died, citing respect for the producer. Vance said the affected herd had been contained, quarantined and vaccinated against the virus.
The affected cow was incinerated, and its remains buried, Vance said. She sought to assure the public there was no danger of exposure to any form of anthrax via contaminated meat, as the situation was rapidly controlled by state authorities.
“The food supply is not affected. Beef is safe to eat,” she said.
Vance said that if a rancher or farmer is concerned about an animal acting sluggish, walking strangely or having labored breathing, it is best to immediately contact a local livestock veterinarian.
“This is not new to Oklahoma,” Vance said, “But we have not had a confirmed case since 1996 in Payne County.”
Vance said the state has not received any reports of wild game dying from anthrax, though she said there have been some reports of livestock deaths that have not officially been linked to the anthrax virus.
Dr. Gary Stone, a field veterinarian with the Animal Industry State Veterinary Division of the ODAFF said that while infections are uncommon, anthrax is regularly found in some areas. Stone said he did not believe the public should worry about a single case because ODAFF is taking care of the health issue.
“I just want to lay to rest any apprehensions people might have,” Stone said.
Donald Stotts, communications officer for the Oklahoma State University Extension Office in Stillwater, said his office had not been officially informed of a positive anthrax case in Jackson County. The OSU extension agent in Jackson County, Gary Strickland, also confirmed his office in Altus was not aware of the anthrax case in his county.
South of the Red River
Across the state line, in Hardeman County, Texas, there was one confirmed death of a cow due to anthrax. Although there may be more cattle that have died from the disease, none were officially confirmed.
Justin Gilliam, an extension agent with Texas A&M Agrilife’s Hardeman County Extension Office in Quanah, told Southwest Ledger that the case was first discovered in a dead cow in that county. A necropsy was performed by extension agents and anthrax was found to be the cause of death. Once the agents learned they had been potentially exposed to anthrax during the necropsy, the remaining herd was placed on a 60-day regimen of antibiotics.