ISTANBUL

Thailand's health authorities confirmed on Friday the first death from anthrax in over 30 years in northeastern Mukdahan province.

Three people suspected of anthrax are in a hospital, said a statement issued by the Department of Disease Control.

The 53-year-old man, who had a history of eating raw beef, went to the hospital with a wound on his right hand, prompting the doctor to suspect anthrax, said the statement.

Laboratory results from the Department of Medical Sciences showed that the man from Mukdahan province had Bacillus anthracis, which causes anthrax.

He later died on Wednesday, marking the country's first death from anthrax since 1994, according to the Bangkok Post.

Dr. Narong Chankaeo, chief of the provincial health office, warned that 638 people in the province's Don Tan district have been exposed to the same source of infection, according to the daily.

Anthrax is a bacterial infection primarily affecting animals. People can contract the disease directly or indirectly from infected animals or through contact with infected or contaminated animal products.

In humans, the disease takes three forms, and the most common is cutaneous anthrax, which occurs when spores come into contact with broken skin, causing an itchy bump that develops into a black sore.

This form may also cause headaches, muscle aches, fever, and vomiting. Gastrointestinal anthrax is caused by eating infected meat, resulting in food poisoning-like symptoms that can progress to severe stomach pain, bloody vomiting, and diarrhea.