Chinese Pharma Leak Infects Thousands With Bacterial Disease
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for nutherguy:
Chinese pharma leak infects thousands with bacterial disease - National:
Thousands of people in northwestern China have tested positive for brucellosis, a disease that commonly infects livestock, after a pharmaceutical factory accidentally vented bacteria into the air last year, officials say.
At least 3,245 people have contracted the disease in Lazhou, the capital of Gansu province, according to a statement from the city's health commission. More than 1,000 are suspected to have the disease. No fatalities have been reported since the problem was first identified last November.
The latest numbers are much higher than initially thought, the state-run Global Times reports.
Authorities have traced the leak back to the Zhongmu Lanzhou biological pharmaceutical factory, which was found to be using expired sanitizers and disinfectants. The factory accidentally vented an aerosolized version of Brucella, the bacteria that causes brucellosis, into the air last summer, causing it to spread across the surrounding area through the wind.
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