Epidemiological Characteristics of Anthrax in an Agricultural-pastoral Region of Northeastern China: a 21-year Cross-sectional Study

Objective: This study analyzed the epidemiological characteristics and epidemic patterns of anthrax in Chifeng of Inner Mongolia in the past 21 years, and explored the current status of anthrax in Chifeng of Inner Mongolia. This study aims to provide a reference for the prevention and control of anthrax in the future. Method: A total of 145 anthrax cases reported to the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System from 354 medical institutions in Chifeng City from 2004 to 2024 were collected. Microsoft Excel 2019 was used to establish a database for descriptive analysis of the time, region, gender and age of anthrax cases. SPSS 26.0 software was used to analyze the data, and ArcGIS software was used to generate spatial distribution maps. Results: There were 18 annual reports of anthrax cases in the city, with a total of 145 cases. The reported annual incidence rate ranged from 0.02/100 000 and 0.45/100 000. The epidemic period was mainly from June to October, and the epidemic peaked in August. Anthrax cases were reported in all administrative regions except J administrative region, which was an urban area and the rest were farming and animal husbandry areas. The number of areas reporting anthrax increased from two administrative areas per year to a maximum of nine administrative areas. The population was mainly middle-aged, and there were more males than females. Conclusion: In Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, China, the administrative areas where anthrax cases were reported were concentrated in agriculturalpastoral region, and the number of reporting administrative areas showed an increasing trend year by year. There was no clear periodicity in the epidemic of anthrax cases, but there was distinct seasonal patterns. Most of the cases were middle-aged male farmers and herdsmen.