China: Bacterial disease infects thousands, can leave men infertile
What's the story
Even as the world reels from the COVID-19 pandemic, instances of other potentially scary outbreaks are lurching at the corner. Case in point: Brucellosis, a debilitating bacterial fatal disease that is said to have infected thousands of people in Northwest China and is capable of making men infertile. Here is all you need to know about the disease and the outbreak.
Disease
What exactly is Brucellosis?
As per World Health Organization, Brucellosis is a disease caused by a group of bacteria from the genus Brucella that mainly infects cattle, swine, goats, sheep, and dogs. When humans come in contact with these infected animals, like by eating or drinking their products or inhaling airborne agents, they can contract the disease. However, the bacteria takes some time to manifest.
Information
Caused typically by unpasteurized milk or cheese
Brucellosis, also known as Malta fever or Mediterranean fever, is typically caused by ingesting unpasteurized milk or cheese from infected goats. It occurs in the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of Latin America.
Symptoms
Can lead to infertility in men or other serious problems
Once infected, a person could be floored for months by this disease. They could witness flu-like symptoms such as fever, weakness, pains, malaise, or weight loss, and appetite loss. However, in some cases, it even causes serious effects such as inflamed testicles that could leave men infertile or arthritis, endocarditis, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), meningitis (inflammation of membranes around the brain), etc.
Chinese outbreak
What is the situation in China?
The first cases of Brucellosis were reported over a year ago at a veterinary college in Lanzhou, the capital of northwest China's Gansu province. Back then, it was believed that only a few people at the college had contracted the disease. But now, the Health Commission of Lanzhou has revealed that at least 3,245 people have tested positive for the bacterial infection.
Source
Leak from the local pharma company
As reported by CNN, the source of the infection was not the vet college but a leak at the Zhongmu Lanzhou biological pharmaceutical factory. Last year, between July and August, the factory used out-of-date sanitizers during the production of Brucella vaccines for animal use, which allowed bacteria containing aerosols to waft over the local area, infecting people living nearby.
Deaths
No deaths reported so far
So far, approximately 21,000 tests have been conducted for the disease in the region, and no deaths have been reported. However, statistically, reports suggest about 2% of people infected by this disease can die. "The number (of positive cases) is way larger than expected and raised widespread concern over the disease's spread and its consequences," reported state-run Chinese outlet Global Times.
Transmission
No human-to-human transmission
That being said, it must be noted that the situation is not likely to escalate from the region, given that the human-to-human transmission of the disease is extremely rare. According to both CDC and the WHO, the bacterial infection could only be transmitted by infected breastfeeding mothers or through tissue transplantation or blood transfusions by an infected person.