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"Public health officials in Armenia recently announced that laboratory tests have confirmed the presence of anthrax in one of 15 potential cases.<br /><br />Fifteen people suspected to have been exposed to a suspicious illness in the Vardenis district of Armenia's Gegharkunik Province were ordered by the Armenian Health Ministry to be tested for the illness, according to <a href=\"http://Panorama.am\">Panorama.am</a>.<br /><br />The results confirmed the presence of anthrax in only one person, although nine were found to have a non-pathogenic form of the disease. The rest of the samples tested negative. Doctors said that all of the patients are in satisfactory condition.<br /><br />The outbreak has prompted the ministry to conduct further testing. Since the initial results were confirmed, one person has been hospitalized with a suspected case of anthrax in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. An additional 21 people have been hospitalized in Martuni, a city in the Gegharkunik Province, <a href=\"http://Panorama.am\">Panoram.am</a> reports.<br /><br />Anthrax is considered to be a major potential weapon of bioterrorism, but it also occurs naturally. The bacteria is not spread from person to person and can exist in a dormant state in the form of spores for many years. The spores can activate when they come into contact with human skin, are ingested or inhaled.<br /><br />The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies anthrax as Category A biological agent, placing it among those pathogens that are the most dangerous to public health."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://bioprepwatch.com/stories/510509393-armenia-confirms-anthrax-outbreak>