Brucellois endemic in 25 regions of China

The incidence of human brucellosis in China has been increasing dramatically since 1999, Minerva was surprised to learn from an epidemiological survey in BMC Infectious Diseases (2013;13:547, doi:10.1186/1471-2334-13-547). Currently, human brucellosis is endemic in 25 of 32 provinces or autonomous regions of China, and the paper looks at a total of 162 329 cases, reported from 2004 to 2010. Milk and cheese are not usually to blame because lactose intolerance is common in China. Instead, it is probably caused by the increasing density of animal herding in upland areas and weather conditions that encourage proximity between humans and animals. Cuddly sheep and goats are the main vectors—more independent minded ruminants like antelope pose little threat to those who try to farm them.
Source: Minerva, BMJ