Authorities in China confirmed that a third man has died of pneumonic plague in Ziketan, Qinghai Province, China. The town has been sealed off. The 64-year-old man lived near the other two men who died, officials said.
Checkpoints have been set up around Ziketan, a town of 10,000 people, while medics disinfect the area. Teams of workers have been sent in to exterminate rats and insects.
Pneumonic plague is caused by Yersina pestis, a bacterial agent that infects the lungs. It is a disease of rodents and their fleas and humans. It can spread from animals to people and from person-to-person. Initial symptoms of pneumonic plague are fever, headache, weakness and a cough which produces bloody or watery sputum. Within two to four days it can cause septic shock. Without early treatment the disease is fatal.
It is caused by the same bacterium as the one that caused the Black Death which killed about 25 million people in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Human-to-human infection occurs through respiratory droplets. To become infected a human needs to have face-to-face contact with a sick person.
If treated early the following antibiotics are effective – streptomycin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol. Although there is no vaccine, antibiotic treatment for seven days can protect people who have had face-to-face contact with infected people.
In the USA the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classify Yersina pestis as a Category A (high priority) bioterrorism agent.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised Chinese authorities for their swift response and for getting the situation under control. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Chinese authorities are being open about this outbreak.
Local media report that so far approximately ten people have become infected. Authorities are urging anyone showing symptoms who has been to the town since the middle of July to seek medical attention immediately.
Written by Christian Nordqvist