Still not over the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of Chinese citizens have tested positive for Brucellosis. This disease is caused by contact with farm animals that carry the brucella bacteria.
The Health Commission of Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, confirmed that 3,245 people had contracted brucellosis and had tested 21,847 local residents.
According to local authorities on Tuesday (15/9/2020), this new outbreak was caused by bacteria that had spread due to a leak from a biopharmaceutical company last year. However, to date, no casualties have been reported.
So, what is Brucellosis actually? Following Popmama.com has summarized from various sources. Come on, listen!
1. What is Brucellosis?
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Reporting from MayoClinic, Brucellosis is a bacterial infection that spreads from animals to humans. In general, people will be infected with this disease from raw milk products or which are not pasteurized.
For information, the bacteria that cause brucellosis are spread through the air or direct contact with infected animals. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), human-to-human transmission of brucellosis is extremely rare.
Usually, animals such as sheep, cows, goats, pigs and dogs are the animals most often infected with the bacteria that causes Brucellosis.
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2. Symptoms caused
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After being infected with the Brucella bacteria, the sufferer will experience some symptoms a few days or months later. Similar to the flu, signs and symptoms include the following:
- Fever
- Chills
- Loss of appetite
- Sweating
- Feeling tired
- Joint, muscle, and back pain
- Headache
The symptoms of brucellosis can disappear for weeks or months, then they will come back or come back at any time. In some people with Brucellosis cornis, they usually experience symptoms for years even after undergoing treatment.
For long-term signs and symptoms, these include fatigue, recurrent fever, arthritis, inflammation of the heart (endocarditis) and spondylitis or inflammation of the joints that affect the spine and surrounding joints.
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3. It is suspected that this epidemic originated from a leak at the Zhongmu Lanzhou biopharmaceutical factory
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Also known as Maltese fever or Mediterranean fever, this disease causes sufferers to experience flu-like symptoms and joint problems. But according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), even if these symptoms subside, there will be some symptoms that never go away, such as arthritis or inflammation in certain organs.
Most of the sufferers were infected by eating contaminated food or inhaling the bacteria in Lanzhou. Because this epidemic originated from a leak at the Zhongmu Lanzhou biopharmaceutical factory that occurred between July and August last year.
It is known that when these pharmaceutical factories produce Brucella vaccine for animals, they use expired disinfectants and cleaners, which means that not all bacteria are killed in the waste gas.
Then the contaminated waste gas forms an aerosol that contains bacteria and leaks into the air. The bacteria then drifted to the Lanzhou Animal Research Institute, where the outbreak first hit.
That is why many local residents are infected from the air and food that has been contaminated with these bacteria.
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4. Transmission of Brucellosis
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Not only in livestock, Brucella bacteria also affect wild animals such as deer, elk, bull, caribou, moose, and camels. Although transmission occurs in a wide variety of animals, here are the most common ways bacteria spread from animals to humans:
- Inhaling air contaminated with bacteria. As is well known, Brucella bacteria can easily spread in the air. So that people can easily become infected because of breathing contaminated air.
- Eating raw dairy products or raw meat. Brucella bacteria in infected animal milk can spread to humans if not pasteurized. Such as ice cream, butter, and cheese products. Not only that, but Brucella bacteria can also be transmitted through raw or undercooked meat from infected animals.
- Touch the blood and body fluids of an infected animal. Brucella bacteria present in the blood, semen, or placenta of infected animals can enter the human bloodstream through open wounds. Meanwhile, people who have normal contact with animals, such as touching, brushing, or playing with pets will not cause infection. However, in certain cases, humans are rarely exposed to these bacteria from their pets.
The important thing to note is, people with weak immune systems should avoid raising dogs that are known to also have the disease.
Although it does not spread from person to person, in some cases there are women who transmit this disease to their children during childbirth or breastfeeding.
Brucellosis is also rarely spread through sexual activity, through contaminated blood or bone marrow transfusions.
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5. Prevention of Brucellosis
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For sufferers of this disease, the doctor will perform treatment starting with tests looking for bacteria in blood samples, bone marrow or other body fluids. Apart from going through various tests, doctors will also usually prescribe antibiotics for the body.
Well, as a prevention from this disease, the Center for Controlling Disease Control and Management (CDC) on its official website mentions several measures that can prevent Brucellosis bacterial infection in humans.
According to the CDC, make sure you don’t eat raw meat, unpasteurized dairy products like milk, cheese, and ice cream. If you are not sure whether a product has been pasteurized or not, you should not consume it.
Furthermore, those who handle a variety of animals, such as hunters and animal herders, should use rubber gloves, goggles and aprons as personal protection. That way, you can ensure that bacteria from potentially infected animals don’t get into your eyes, inside wounds or abrasions on your skin.
That’s all about Brucellosis which is endemic in China. It should be noted that, Brucellosis has been very common in China since the 1980s. But since a vaccine was invented, the outbreak has been well controlled.
Despite vaccines, outbreaks of Brucellosis are still being reported worldwide in recent decades. So, make sure to always keep clean and follow the precautions mentioned above!
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