The infection is reportedly caused by contact with cattle carrying the Brucella bacteria and, according to some reports, it can have the side effect of swollen testicles and can make some men infertile.
According to the Lanzhou Health Commission, the capital of Gansu province, 3,245 people tested positive for the disease, which is allegedly caused by contact with cattle that carry the Brucella bacteria.
- News18.com
- Last update: September 18, 2020 10:51 AM IST
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Several thousand people in northwest China tested positive for brucellosis, a bacterial disease, Chinese authorities confirmed on Tuesday, in an outbreak caused by a leak at a biopharmaceutical company last year.
According to the Health Commission in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, 3,245 people tested positive for the disease, which is allegedly caused by contact with cattle that carry the Brucella bacteria, and according to some reports, may have the side effect of swollen testicles and can render some men infertile.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the disease, also known as Malt fever or Mediterranean fever, can cause headaches, muscle aches, fever and fatigue. While these symptoms may go away, some symptoms may become chronic or never go away, such as arthritis or swelling in certain organs.
The CDC said that person-to-person transmission of this disease is extremely rare and that the infection is spread primarily through eating contaminated food or inhaling the bacteria, which appears to be the case in Lanzhou.
According to CNN, the outbreak was due to a leak at the Zhongmu Lanzhou biological pharmaceutical factory last year between the end of July and August. While producing Brucella vaccines for animal use, the factory used expired disinfectants and disinfectants, meaning that not all bacteria were eradicated in the waste gas.
A small number of people were initially thought to be infected, but tests of 21,000 people showed that the number of infections was much higher. So far no deaths have been reported. “The number is much higher than expected and generated widespread concern about the spread of the disease and its consequences,” reported the state newspaper Global Times.
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