Chinese students fall ill after dissecting goats

September 4th, 2011 - 3:47 pm ICT by IANS  

Beijing, Sep 4 (IANS) Twenty-seven students and a teacher in China were diagnosed with a serious disease after dissecting goats in an agricultural university, a media report said Sunday.

The victims from Northeast Agricultural University in Heilongjiang province were diagnosed with brucellosis, an infectious disease classified as severe as the H1N1 flu, SARS and AIDS, Shanghai Daily reported.

They are undergoing treatment since they were admitted to hospitals in March, it said quoting the China Youth Daily.

Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacteria that is primarily spread among animals. Humans become infected after coming in contact with animals or animal products that are contaminated with these bacteria.

The disease does not spread between humans and can be treated with antibiotics.

The province’s education department found the disease stemmed from four goats used in the experiments. It said the university bought the goats from a local farm which did not quarantine the animals, while the instructors also failed to ensure adequate protection measures during the experiments.

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