Over 10,000 Victims of Brucella Bacteria Leak in Lanzhou, China... Caused by Negligence at Vaccine Factory

Last July, Negligence at Vaccine Factory Caused Spread
Fever and Joint Pain Occurred...Residents Complain of Suffering

View of Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, China [Image source = Lanzhou City official website]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Chinese government announced that the number of patients affected by the Brucella bacteria leak incident that occurred last year in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, China, has exceeded 10,000. The incident is known to have been caused by negligence at a local Brucella vaccine manufacturing plant.

According to Chinese media including Global Times on the 4th, the Lanzhou City authorities in Gansu Province held a press conference the previous day and revealed that as of the 30th of last month, antibody tests were conducted on 68,000 victims related to the Brucella bacteria that spread in the city due to negligence at Zhongmu Lanzhou Biological Pharmaceutical Factory in July last year. Positive reactions were found in 10,528 people. The authorities had previously reported 3,245 positive cases in September and a cumulative 6,620 cases last month. The number increased as the testing scope included not only residents and workers but also people who stayed or worked temporarily in the affected areas during the leak period.

The incident occurred when Lanzhou Biological Pharmaceutical Factory used expired disinfectants during the production process of animal Brucellosis vaccines. Brucella bacteria were included in the discarded factory waste that was not properly disinfected, and after disposal, the bacteria spread externally in aerosol form, carried by the wind, infecting people through inhalation or mucous membrane contact, according to the analysis by Lanzhou city authorities.

Brucellosis, a zoonotic infectious disease, is known to cause symptoms such as fever, excessive sweating, joint pain, and fatigue, and can also affect the reproductive organs. Residents have expressed their suffering after the incident was belatedly revealed and have claimed that they have not been receiving proper treatment or testing. So far, 1,604 people have received hospital treatment, including 1,566 outpatients and 38 inpatients, with two still hospitalized.

Until early last month, only 337 residents had received compensation. However, after a compensation agreement was prepared that explicitly stated the factory’s direct responsibility for the incident and guaranteed lifelong free treatment, the number of victims who signed the agreement increased to 3,244. The factory responsible for the incident has been shut down since December last year, and eight officials have been punished with administrative warnings and other penalties.