One of the two patients infected with anthrax in East China’s Shandong Province has died, according to weekly report issued by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday.
The victim, a 14-year-old student, passed away on August 6 and the other one is a 35-year-old man who is a butcher, according to the report.
The two confirmed cases were reported to Shandong CDC as of August 15 and the authority has formed a joint investigation team to determine the sources of the infection to prevent any further spread. Anthrax is a rare, but serious infection caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis, which is often fatal.
On July 28, the student suddenly experienced fever, fatigue, retching, diarrhea and convulsions and then was taken to the health clinic of Liumiao village for treatment. On July 31, the patient was transferred to Binzhou Medical University Hospital due to sudden unconsciousness, lockjaw and nuchal rigidity during infusion in the village clinic. On August 6, the patient was voluntarily discharged from the hospital and died on the same day.
The investigation team found that the second patient slaughtered sick cattle bought from Wendian township in Yangxin county at first patient’s home on July 25.
The Shandong CDC and related health agencies then implemented a strict 12-day quarantine requirement for all close contacts of the two confirmed cases, including 24 that quarantined at home and nine at centralized isolation facilities.
The body temperatures and health status of each close contact were monitored daily. Meanwhile, 78 people have been screened for fever, diarrhea, vomiting and skin symptoms in primary medical institutions, and no new cases have yet been found.
