The COVID 19 pandemic has shaken the world and it will not end anytime soon. The world is already criticizing China for COVID 19, and now the Health Commission of Lanzhou, the capital city of Gansu Province in China, confirmed that around 6,000 people have been infected with the disease Brucellosis, caused by contact with farm animals carrying the bacteria named Brucella. The government has tested around 55,000 citizens, and the Health Commission of Lanzhou City confirmed that a leak in a biopharmaceutical company last year caused an outbreak of Brucellosis disease.
Brucellosis is a bacterial infection that majorly infects goats, cattle, sheep, swine, and dogs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), maximum cases of the infections are caused by consuming unpasteurized milk or cheese from infected cattle or goats. The transmission from humans to humans of this virus is rare. However, humans can get infected if they come in direct contact with any infected animals, and by eating or drinking infected animal products, and also by inhaling airborne parts. Transmission through breastfeeding, blood transfusion, and sexual transmission has also been rarely reported. There are some long-term symptoms of Brucellosis like recurrent fevers, arthritis, swelling of the heart, chronic fatigue, swelling of the testicles and scrotum, swelling of the liver or spleen, neurological symptoms, and depression.
The outbreak of Brucellosis disease was first recognized by the Health Commission of Lanzhou city. Their official website mentioned a ‘Brucells antibody-positive incident’ that came at the Zhongmu Lanzhou Biological Pharmaceuticals factory on November 28, 2019. When the scientists were in a process of producing a vaccine for the Brucellosis virus between July to August in 2019, the team used expired disinfectants that caused incomplete sterilization of the waste gas containing the virus. The gas afterward created aerosols as an outcome of which people were exposed. At that time around 3,245 people were infected with this virus. Recently, 8 people from the pharmaceutical’s factory have been held accountable for the incident.
Apart from COVID 19 and Brucellosis, some other disease outbreaks had also threatened the world. In March, the Hanta Virus occurred in the Yunnan Province of China. This virus is contracted by humans from infected rodents. Recently, India faced a disease outbreak within animals in COVID 19 lockdown, when African Swine Fever killed thousands of pigs in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Its ways of transmission include direct contact with infected or wild pigs. When Brucellosis was rapidly spreading in Lanzhou Province of China, the Deputy Mayor of Lanzhou, Mr. Wei Qingxiang said that free testing will be conducted for the citizens. And the locals who are positive for antibodies and have adverse reactions will receive free and standard treatments.
Several nations including India are relieving the lockdown and travel restrictions. Therefore, researchers are setting an opinion to restrict travel to contain the Brucellosis. The recent outbreak of this infection is continually increasing in China, and just like COVID 19, it can probably spread to other nations as well. Indian reliance on farm animals or livestock is extremely high and thus Indians will be more exposed to this disease if it enters India.
Farm animal transmission and airborne particle transmission are big sources of contaminating in Brucellosis. Thus, more risk is there, and it is necessary to take precautions before any other disastrous stuff arises. Some authorities and researchers are worried that Brucellosis would be another pandemic to handle and it will present a larger threat than COVID 19, but only if it is not prevented in time. And there's a wide need to implement new testing facilities, as the researchers are expecting the cases of Brucellosis to increase.
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