Anthrax in No. Siberia

In Yamalo-Nenets, northern Siberia, Russia, at least 90 people have been hospitalized and one child has died in an outbreak of anthrax. Russian authorities blamed the outbreak on a heat wave in the region that thawed the corpses of reindeer that had perished of the disease the previous winter.

Anthrax is a bacterial disease that produces toxins in the body that can be fatal. It is spread when a human or animal comes into contact with, ingests or breathes in dormant spores. The spores can survive extreme environments, even being frozen for extended periods of time. 

Depending on the method of infection, symptoms can include sores and blisters, fevers, nausea and internal bleeding. Anthrax is not contagious like a cold or the flu; it cannot be passed from an infected individual to a healthy one through contact with fluids. Human infections occur through contact with anthrax spores while working with or eating infected animals.