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| Lanzhou to Harbin |
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On Saturday, in Outbreak Of Brucellosis Reported At Veterinary Research Institute - Gansu Province. we saw reports of nearly 100 people having tested positive for Brucellosis antibodies in Lanzhou, and of attempts to trace the origins of the outbreak.
Today, more than 1300 miles to the Northeast, another Veterinary Research facility - this time in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province - is reporting at least 13 students have tested positive for exposure to the bacteria.
Brucellosis is a bacterial disease of livestock that can also infect humans. While rarely fatal, it can cause serious and prolonged illness, with symptoms that may may include recurrent fevers, endocarditis, and neurological symptoms.
Three strains of Brucella (Brucella abortus, Brucella melitensis & Brucella suis) have been listed as Select Agents - pathogens that have been deemed to pose a significant biological hazard - and could potentially be used as bioterrorism agents (against both humans and livestock).Today's report indicates a number of students at this latest research facility previously attended the Gansu facility, providing an epidemiological link to that outbreak. Person-to-person transmission while possible, is considered rare.
(Continue . . . )
Heilongjiang communications: the Harbin Veterinary Research 13 students antibody positive Brucella
At 21:02 on December 10th, 2019 Source: People's Daily - Heilongjiang channel
People's Daily, Harbin, December 10th (Yang Xuenan) On December 10th, Heilongjiang Provincial Health and Health Commission issued a report on the positive status of Brucella antibodies in some students of the Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
At 17:00 on December 7, the Heilongjiang Provincial Disease Control Center monitored 6 cases of brucellosis diagnosed by the Provincial Agricultural Reclamation General Hospital through the direct reporting system of infectious disease network. All of them were students of the College of Veterinary Medicine (Hazard Research Institute) of the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
After the epidemic situation was discovered, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government attached great importance to it. The Provincial Health and Health Committee immediately set up an expert group and went to the Provincial Agricultural Reclamation General Hospital and Harmony Research to conduct epidemiological investigation and epidemic disposal work overnight. As of 17:00 on the 10th, 13 people with Brucella antibody-positive reports related to the epidemic, including 1 confirmed case of brucellosis, 2 suspected cases, and 10 recessive infections.
An epidemiological survey showed that the 49 students who came to the clinic were from the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 37 of whom had short-term animal contact research work in the laboratory of Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute in August this year. Animal contact history, 13 cases were finally diagnosed. The other 12 students who had not worked in Lanzhou Animal Research Institute in August were not infected. Experts evaluated the outbreak as an imported one.
The Provincial Health and Health Committee has organized experts in infectious diseases and epidemiologists to observe all infected persons closely, conduct scientific research and judgement, and strengthen clinical treatment of confirmed and suspected cases. Conduct psychological counseling and health education for related personnel to avoid excessive panic.
Brucellosis, referred to as brucellosis, is a zoonotic disease. The source of infection is mainly infected animals such as cattle and sheep. It is not contagious between people and will not cause the spread of the disease.
As far as the original outbreak is concerned, the epidemiological investigation is still ongoing.
