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Computer illustration of the Brucella bacteria
Photo: Science Photo Library / imago image
According to official information, a bacterium from a Chinese state laboratory has infected thousands of people.
According to the AFP news agency, the health authorities said brucellosis had been found in 3,245 people in the city of Lanzhou in northwest China.
A first test was positive for 1401 other people.
There are currently no indications of a possible human-to-human transmission, it said.
The disease is caused by the brucella bacteria and can cause fever, joint pain, and headache.
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), it is often transmitted to humans from infected animals or contaminated animal products.
In this case, according to the authorities, the pathogen came from a state-owned biopharmaceutical plant that produces vaccines for animals.
The breakdown occurred last year.
According to CNN, a total of 21,847 people were tested in the 2.9 million metropolis.
Expired disinfectant
The plant reportedly used expired disinfectant in the manufacture of Brucella vaccination jars in July and August 2019.
Therefore, the bacterium was not killed and got into the plant's ventilation system.
The wind carried aerosols with the pathogen to the veterinary research institute, where it infected almost 200 people by December.
Then there were other infected people, such as students and staff from Lanzhou University.
According to the state news agency Xinhua, the outbreak even spread to the north of the country, where 13 people who worked at the plant in August tested positive.
The plant management apologized for the incident some time ago.
According to the authorities, the facility lost its license to produce Brucella vaccinations.
The infected should be compensated from October.
According to the US Disease Protection Agency CDC, transmission of Brucella from person to person is "extremely rare".
In some cases the pathogen becomes permanently embedded in the human organism and causes lifelong symptoms such as chronic fatigue, heart problems or arthritis.
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kry / AFP
