Inhalation anthrax usually results in death in 1-2 days after onset of the acute symptoms. Initial signs of nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, fever are followed by abdominal pain, vomiting of blood, and severe diarrhea. The incubation period is usually within seven days. There are no reports of the disease spreading from human to human. A second attack with this disease is unlikely.
Doctors can prescribe effective antibiotics.
Usually penicillin is preferred, but erythromycin, tetracycline, or chloramphenicol can also be used. To be effective, treatment should be initiated early. The disease could be fatal in untreated cases. Although anthrax can be found globally, it is more often a risk in countries with less standardized and effective public health programs. Areas currently listed as high risk are South and Central America, Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.