Sixteen villagers suspected of being infected with anthrax in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region were in stable condition on Monday afternoon, authorities said on Tuesday.

The anthrax outbreak — which broke out in Shengli village on Aug 7 — had killed 21 cattle as of 5 pm on Monday, Tongliao city's Keerqin district government told China National Radio.

Another eight cattle died from adverse reactions to vaccinations administered after the outbreak.

Quarantine measures have been implemented in the village to prevent the disease spreading, and 66 people who had close contact with cattle and people suspected of being infected are under observation at home, the district government said.

Anthrax is a major animal infectious disease in China and can be transmitted to humans. Although it is deadly to livestock such as cattle and sheep, human cases are curable with antibiotic treatment.

There were 318 human anthrax cases reported on the Chinese mainland last year, according to the National Health Commission. Three people died.