Abstract:

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of public health emergencies caused by brucellosis in Shandong Province, so as to provide reference for the prevention and control of this infectious disease throughout the province. Methods The brucellosis related public health emergencies reported in Shangdong Province from 2012 to 2022 were initially collected through the subsystem of Public Health Emergency Management under the Information System for Disease Prevention and Control in China, and then analyzed pertaining to distribution of region, time and population of the events as well as the root cause for the infection using descriptive epidemiology. Results From 2012 to 2022, a total of 243 public health emergencies resulted from brucellosis were reported in Shandong Province, with 782 individuals affected and no death. The emergencies were most reported in Jining City and Dezhou City, respectively accounting for 64 (26.34%) and 63 (25.93%). The events generally occurred in between May and July, with a total of 100 events reported (41.15%). The reported cases were mainly males (561 cases, 71.74%), and the patients' age ranged from 40 and 69 years old (575 cases, 73.53%). Farmers were most affected by the infection (682 cases, 87.21%). The main places where the incident occurred were households (172 events, 70.78%) and rural villages (56 events, 23.05%). The top two causes for the emergencies were transmission via life contact (89 events, 36.63%) and vector animal transmission (82 events, 33.74%). Conclusion Shandong Province is an area with a high risk of sudden public health emergencies related to brucellosis in China. The findings suggest that it is necessary to further strengthen health education in key areas and populations, monitor and warn of brucellosis incidents, and reduce the occurrence of brucellosis incidents.

Key words: Brucellosis, Public health emergency, Epidemiological characteristics, Shandong Province