At bottom, scary medical mystery
By Li Xinran |
April 13, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
DOZENS of people in the northern province of Hebei were discovered with decaying muscle tissue on their buttocks after receiving injections at a local privately owned clinic.
The health department in Hebei's Baoding City reported nearly 70 cases.
All of them had taken muscle injections at Sun Yulan's clinic in Baoding's Xinshi District for slight illnesses, such as cold or fever, it said.
Sun used to be a military medical doctor and became a licensed general practitioner in Baoding after retirement, said the Oriental Outlook magazine.
An official with Baoding's health department told the magazine on Wednesday that all the patients were diagnosed with infections of mycobacterium fortuitum, a rare bacteria unaffected by ordinary antibiotics.
Victims and their families complained to government, saying they had received poor treatment for six months.
Many worried they could be disabled if the bacteria invaded to their sciatic nerve.
Eleven experts from the provincial health department arrived at Baoding on March 28 and confirmed the disease last Wednesday.
Zhang Xinjiang, head of the task force, told the magazine that no previous patients died or became disabled or showed after-effects when they recovered.
Zhang said the world's first case was discovered in 1959, and that an epidemic worldwide started in 1982.
China reported its first case of the infection in 1996. An outbreak in Hebei involving dozens of cases was reported in 2001, according to Zhang.
"It is curable," Zhang said.
However, the cause of the infection was still unknown, Zhang added.
Baoding health department took samples of medicine and tools from Sun's clinic despite their being from licensed manufacturers, the report said.
All the disposable syringes were from a factory in Jiangxi Province and had never been found with problems before, according to Sun.
Sun's clinic had been suspended from operation while the expenses for patents' treatment were all covered by it.
Sun expressed sorrow over what had happened and said her most concern was about patients' health.
The health department in Hebei's Baoding City reported nearly 70 cases.
All of them had taken muscle injections at Sun Yulan's clinic in Baoding's Xinshi District for slight illnesses, such as cold or fever, it said.
Sun used to be a military medical doctor and became a licensed general practitioner in Baoding after retirement, said the Oriental Outlook magazine.
An official with Baoding's health department told the magazine on Wednesday that all the patients were diagnosed with infections of mycobacterium fortuitum, a rare bacteria unaffected by ordinary antibiotics.
Victims and their families complained to government, saying they had received poor treatment for six months.
Many worried they could be disabled if the bacteria invaded to their sciatic nerve.
Eleven experts from the provincial health department arrived at Baoding on March 28 and confirmed the disease last Wednesday.
Zhang Xinjiang, head of the task force, told the magazine that no previous patients died or became disabled or showed after-effects when they recovered.
Zhang said the world's first case was discovered in 1959, and that an epidemic worldwide started in 1982.
China reported its first case of the infection in 1996. An outbreak in Hebei involving dozens of cases was reported in 2001, according to Zhang.
"It is curable," Zhang said.
However, the cause of the infection was still unknown, Zhang added.
Baoding health department took samples of medicine and tools from Sun's clinic despite their being from licensed manufacturers, the report said.
All the disposable syringes were from a factory in Jiangxi Province and had never been found with problems before, according to Sun.
Sun's clinic had been suspended from operation while the expenses for patents' treatment were all covered by it.
Sun expressed sorrow over what had happened and said her most concern was about patients' health.
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