At least 11 people in northwestern China have contracted the disease anthrax, usually found in domestic and wild animals.
The government in Ganquan county near Yan’an in Shaanxi province said in a statement that the people may have caught the illness through contact with infected animals or animal products.
Fifteen animals have died of the illness, according to the report published on the government’s website.
The statement did not comment on the condition of the people infected.
The common form of anthrax can result in blisters and ulcers on the skin and is treatable, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The illness is usually spread by infected animals and person-to-person infection is rare, the World Health Organisation said on its website.