Anthrax from shaving brushes.

Anthrax from shaving brushes,has occurred before as according to a historical review published by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Poorly disinfected animal hair shaving brushes caused a mini-epidemic of head and face anthrax during World War I. The contaminated brushes were fake as the World War I cut off the regular supply of badger hair from Russia, the market opened up for alternatives to badger hair. Brushes were made from horsehair from Russia, China, and Japan. This shows that horses and other herbivores are at higher risk for anthrax infections than badgers and pigs, which are omnivores. Anthrax spores can get into the skin through a cut e.g when shaving, these spores cause swelling, itchy bumps or blisters, and also painless ulcers with a black center. Anthrax skin infections are the least deadly kind of anthrax infection, but it kills one in five people who are infected if it’s left untreated. The World War I notably had high anthrax cases,as many started cropping up in the US and UK,then officials with the British armed forces thought that the anthrax infections of soldiers’ heads and necks were because of diabolical strategy of the enemy until researchers were able to trace and track the outbreak back to the shaving brushes provided to the soldiers. This prompted the surgeon general and the New York City Board of Health to state the new recommendations for disinfecting and labeling sterilized brushes to prevent infection. This recommendation still applicable today to ensure health and safety is extended to all types of brushes.