‘Under control’: Siquijor detects 6 cases of zoonotic glanders disease

Metro Manila, Philippines - Six people in Siquijor have contracted glanders disease, an infectious disease primarily affecting horses, donkeys, or mules that can be transmitted to humans.

Siquijor Gov. Jake Vincent Villa confirmed the news on Saturday, May 24, assuring residents and tourists that the situation is under control. He said the infected individuals have already received medication.

In an article posted on its website, the United States National Institutes of Health said glanders can be transmitted from contact with infected animals through mucous membranes, inhalation, and contact with breaks in the skin.

In humans, the first symptom of glanders is usually fever, followed by pneumonia, pustules, and abscesses.

Gov. Villa said the local government, the Negros Island Region One Health Task Force, and the Department of Health continue to monitor and ensure public health security in the province. The actions being done include surveillance, medical assessments, and contact tracing.

The governor said agriculture officials were also conducting animal tests.

The Department of Health Negros Island Region Center for Health Development advised locals against eating meat from sick or dead animals, touching affected animals, and swimming in water that has been contaminated by animals.

It also stressed drinking only clean and safe water and washing hands often.

What is glanders?

According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), glanders is an “infectious and life-threatening disease” that mainly affects horses, donkeys, or mules.

“Humans are accidental hosts and human to human transmission is rare,” the WOAH said.

It said humans can be infected through direct contact with infected animals, their secretions, and through indirect contact with contaminated fomites, food, soil, and water.

“A cure is possible, however, if cases are treated rapidly with antibiotics; fatality rates for untreated infections are very high,” the WOAH also said.

The organization said cases of glanders, caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei, are still reported in several countries in Asia, Africa, Middle East, and South America. The disease has been eradicated in North America, Australia, and Europe.

It said the disease causes nodules and ulcerations in the respiratory tract and lungs in animals, as well as a skin form called “farcy.”