A PROPERTY near Swan Hill has been quarantined after a positive case of anthrax was discovered.
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The disease was found after a number of sheep died suddenly.
Agriculture Victoria veterinarians and animal health responding identified anthrax as the cause of death in at least one of the sheep.
Anthrax is caused by a naturally occurring bacteria that is known to occur in the soil in parts of Northern Victoria.
It is not unusual for incidents of anthrax to be detected in cattle and sheep in the region.
Incidents commonly occur during the warmer months when it’s drier and the cattle and sheep forage deeper into the soil when eating grass.
A statement from Agriculture Victoria said local farmers, veterinarians and Agriculture Victoria were well prepared to handle these incidents including strict quarantine and biosecurity arrangements, the vaccination of potentially exposed stock and the destruction of the affected animals.
The statement said anthrax does not spread quickly and is not contagious and that there is no health risk to the general public.
Any risk is confined to people who handle dead livestock such as farmers, veterinarians and knackery workers. As a precaution, people from the affected farm are being offered testing.
There is no impact on local produce or food safety.
Anthrax has been recognised in Australia as a cause of sudden death in farm animals, particularly sheep and cattle for more than 150 years.
The last documented case of human anthrax in Victoria was a knackery worker, infected in 2007, who had contact with an infected carcass, developed the cutaneous form of anthrax, was treated and recovered.
The property has been quarantined and there is no further movement restrictions on people or vehicles (including school bus routes).
Farmers are urged to report any cases of unexplained deaths to the 24-hour Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888, to your local vet or to Agriculture Victoria animal health staff.