What a mess! Laboratory leaks in China, new infection by bacteria 3,245 people

Bisnis.com, JAKARTA – A biopharmaceutical factory in China has been leaked. The Brucella bacteria has infected 3,245 people, including employees who worked at the factory since last year.

The leak of a Chinese pharmaceutical factory has occurred since the end of 2019. This biopharmaceutical factory produces animal vaccines. Quoting from Hindustan Times, Friday (9/18/2020), brucellosis is caused by the brucella bacteria. The outbreak has caused concern because thousands of people in northern China have tested positive for the brucella bacteria.

The bacteria also infected people who work at the state-run biopharmaceutical factory in Lanzhou city, which produces a veterinary vaccine after a leak last year.

Bacterial Brucella infection can cause fever, joint pain, and headache. China’s health authorities say there is so far no evidence of person-to-person transmission of brucellosis.

Here’s what you need to know about the brucellosis outbreak:

1. According to the Chinese authorities, manufacturers of biopharmaceuticals have used expired disinfectants to produce the animal Brucella vaccine in July and August last year. This indicates that the bacteria did not die in the exhaust from the factory.

2. The contaminated gas from the plant then forms an aerosol containing bacteria, which is then carried by the wind to the Lanzhou Animal Research Institute. It infected nearly 200 people there, as well as in December of last year.

3. According to health officials in Lanzhou, 3,245 people have contracted brucellosis. Another 1,401 people also previously tested positive for the disease, the AFP news agency reported. The bacteria has also infected 20 students and professors at Lanzhou University.

4. Brucellosis can cause fever, joint pain, and headaches.

5. Health authorities affirm that there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission of brucellosis. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that person-to-person transmission of brucellosis is “very rare,” but some symptoms may recur or never go away.

6. Brucella bacteria are generally found in sheep, cattle and pigs. In this infection, in infected patients there are various symptoms such as recurrent fever, chronic fatigue, swelling of the heart.

7. Brucellosis is also known as Maltese fever or Mediterranean fever and can cause symptoms such as headache, muscle aches, fever, and fatigue.