Bacterial Outbreak In China: Leak At Biopharmaceutical Factory Causes Brucellosis Outburst, Thousands Test Positive | Know Its Symptoms & Causes

The bacterial disease in north-east China has been caused by a leak at a biopharmaceutical company last year.

A man wearing a face mask as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus walks through a market in Hong Kong on August 23, 2020. (Photo by May JAMES / May James / AFP)

New Delhi: As China is gradually recuperating from Covid-19 pandemic, another disease Brucellosis has emerged in the country which has already infected 3000 people.  This bacterial disease in north-east China has been caused by a leak at a biopharmaceutical company last year, authorities have said. As per  reports in media, authorities have so far conducted test of 21,847 people out of the 2.9 milion in Lanzhou, the capital city of Gansu province, out of which 3,245 people had contracted the disease Brucellosis. There have been no fatalities have been reported, the city's Health Commission said. Symptoms The disease, also known as Malta fever or Mediterranean fever, can cause symptoms including headaches, muscle pain, fever and fatigue. While some symptoms can become chronic or never go away, like arthritis or swelling in certain organs, according to the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). How does it spread? Human-to-human transmission is extremely rare, according to the CDC. Instead, most people are infected by eating contaminated food or breathing in the bacteria -- which seems to be the case in Lanzhou. The disease is often caused by contact with livestock carrying the bacteria brucella, CNN reported.. How did the outbreak happen? This outbreak began from a leak at the Zhongmu Lanzhou biological pharmaceutical factory, which occurred between late July to late August last year, according to the city's Health Commission. While producing Brucella vaccines for animal use, the factory used expired disinfectants and sanitizers -- meaning not all bacteria were eradicated in the waste gas. This contaminated waste gas formed aerosols that contained the bacteria -- and leaked into the air, carried by the wind down to the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, where the outbreak first hit. In the months after the outbreak, provincial and municipal officials launched an investigation into the leak at the factory, according to the Lanzhou Health Commission. By January, authorities had revoked vaccine production licenses for the plant and withdrew product approval numbers for its two Brucellosis vaccines. A total of seven veterinary drug product approval numbers were also cancelled in the factory. In February, the factory issued a public apology and said it had "severely punished" eight people who were determined as responsible for the incident. (Based on ANI inputs)