Thousands tested positive for bacteria due to biopharmaceutical plant leaks
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Thousands of people in northwestern China have tested positive for bacterial diseases after a leak from the country's biofarmaceutical plant that produced animal vaccines last year.
According to health officials in the city of Lanzhou, a total of 3,245 people are affected by Brucellosis, a disease that is often caused by close contact with infected animals or animal products that can cause fever, joint pain and headaches.
Another 1,401 people were tested positive for the disease and authorities said there was no evidence of transmission from individual to individual so far.
Chinese authorities found biopharmaceutical plants using decontaminated materials expired during the process of producing the Brucella vaccine for animals between July and August last year.
This means that the bacteria is not eradicated in its factory exhaust. Contaminated gas from the Chinese Animal Husbandry Biopharmaceutical Plant in Lanzhou produces aerosols containing bacteria and it is then blown up to the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute.
As a result, it infected nearly 200 people in December last year.
According to Xinhua news, more than 20 students, faculty members of Lanzhou University and several individuals who have been to the institution were later tested positive.
The Lanzhou Health Commission today stressed that sheep, cattle and pigs are usually among the animals that often belong to the spread of bacteria.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, human-to-human transmission of Brucellosis is 'extremely rare'.
These include recurrent fever, chronic fatigue, swelling of the heart or arthritis.
Due to problems that arose, the factory involved came forward to make an apology earlier this year in addition to the revocation of the Brucellosis vaccine production license, according to the Lanzhou authorities.
According to authorities, compensation for patients will begin in stages starting next month.