http://www.theblogofrecord.com/2009/08/03/pneumonic-plague-outbreak-in-china/
Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in China
Two people have died, a town of 10,000 is under quarantine, and the area within a 17-mile radius around it has been sealed to contain a pneumonic plague outbreak:
Chinese authorities have put a whole town in quarantine after an outbreak of horrifying pneumonic plague.
Two people have died from the highly contagious disease, an even more powerful brother of The Black Death – the bubonic plague believed to have wiped out a quarter of the population of Europe in the 14th Century.
Pneumonic plague is one of the most virulent and deadly diseases on earth, usually fatal within 24 hours.
It attacks the lungs and kills nearly everyone who catches it unless they get rapid treatment with antibiotics.
A dozen people in the stricken town of Ziketan have so far been infected. The disease spreads fast and is passed from person to person by coughing.
Authorities in northwest China have sealed off the remote town of 10,000 people and begun a treatment and quarantine programme.
Residents are terrified, shops have been shuttered, homes disinfected, face masks distributed, there has been panic buying and streets are deserted, witnesses reported.
The World Health Organisation said it was in close contact with Chinese health authorities and that measures taken so far were appropriate.
It looks serious, but the Chinese regime isn’t limited by anything in its choice of means to keep the disease from spreading. People are just worker ants for them.
UPDATE: According to a reader, the report of plague is a cover-up for the real events - a political uprising in the sealed-off town and the government’s crackdown, and the two reported plague victims are the leaders of the uprising killed by government forces. Well, dissent is like plague for China’s Communist rulers.
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Tags: modern plague epidemic, modern plague outbreak, Pneumonic Plague Outbreak in China, Qinghai pneumonic plague outbreak, Ziketan outbreak, Ziketan plague outbreak, Ziketan pneumonic plagueIf you think it's bad here with swine flu... Third man dies of pneumonic plague in China as 10,000 are quarantined
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 9:27 AM on 04th August 2009
Chinese authorities have put a whole town in quarantine after an outbreak of horrifying pneumonic plague.
Three men have died from the highly contagious disease, an even more powerful brother of The Black Death – the bubonic plague believed to have wiped out a quarter of the population of Europe in the 14th Century.
A dozen people in the stricken town of Ziketan have so far been infected. The disease spreads fast and is passed from person to person by coughing.
Authorities in northwest China have sealed off the remote town of 10,000 people and begun a treatment and quarantine programme.
Outbreak: Three men have died of pneumonic plague in Qinghai, China
Residents are terrified, shops have been shuttered, homes disinfected, face masks distributed, there has been panic buying and streets are deserted, witnesses reported.
The World Health Organisation said it was in close contact with Chinese health authorities and that measures taken so far were appropriate.
The first to die was a 32-year-old herdsman whose name has not been given. One of his neighbours, identified only as Danzin, 37, was the second victim, dying on Sunday.
A 64-year-old man was the third victim. He was another neighbour of the first two people to die from the plague.
Another 10 people, mostly relatives of the first dead man, were infected and are undergoing isolated treatment in hospital in the town in Qinghai province, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Pneumonic plague is one of the most virulent and deadly diseases on earth, usually fatal within 24 hours.
It attacks the lungs and kills nearly everyone who catches it unless they get rapid treatment with antibiotics.
A team of experts has been sent to the area and the local health bureau warned that anyone with a cough or fever who has visited the town since mid-July should seek hospital treatment.
The sparsely populated area is mostly inhabited by Tibetans and officials hope its isolation will help contain the outbreak.
Isolated: The rural town of Ziketan has been placed under quarantine
A food seller named Han at Ziketan’s Crystal Alley Market said authorities have told residents to disinfect homes and shops and wear masks when they go out.
He said 80 per cent of shops in the town were closed and that the prices of disinfectants and some vegetables have tripled.
'People are so scared. There are few people on the streets,' Han said by telephone. 'There are police guarding the quarantine centre at the township hospital but not on the streets.'
Police checkpoints have been set up at a 17-mile radius around the town and no one is being allowed to leave the area.
Officials have distributed flyers and made TV and radio announcements on how to prevent infection. Authorities are trying to track down people who had contact with the men who died.
The situation in Ziketan was stable, according to an official at the local disease control centre, who said the measures taken were 'scientific, orderly, effective and in accordance with the law.'
WHO spokeswoman Vivian Tan said China reported the first death and 11 other cases to the organisation on Saturday.
Such an outbreak was always a concern, she said, but praised the Chinese for reacting quickly.
'When it comes to outbreaks of the plague it's always quite worrying, but it looks like the authorities have got the situation under control,' she said.
'This area is quite remote and the population is very small so this should make it easier to contain.'
Experts said the authorities were being very open – in contrast to previous cases.
Health officials in Qinghai have been concerned about pneumonic plague for some time.
In February, they said they had sent out 55 teams across the province to help monitor and control the disease.
First symptoms of pneumonic plague include fever, headache and shortness of breath.
In 2004, eight villagers in Qinghai province died of plague, most of them infected after killing or eating wild marmots, animals that are related to gophers and prairie dogs.
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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1203983/Second-man-dies-pneumonic-plague-China-places-town-quarantine.html#ixzz0WL4PmKGS
good job this has not happened in Britain, after the disastrous way the authorities handled the swine flu, no closing of airports or borders here, we would all be dead by now
What this article doesn't tell you is that the disease is still endemic in China though they are making a great efforts to eradicate it completely. This sort of thing is standard practice for this disease but usually the rest of the world doesn't hear about it. They are bing more open than normal about it.
From what I've read elsewhere there is no need to panic over it.
Now when is travel to and from China going to be banned this is far mor monumentous than the flu which where they banned travel to and from only after it was here mind but this is a drastic disease which needs drastic measures.
Can you imagine what will happen when this gets here?
There is a good chance that the Black Death was not Pneumonic plague, it could well have been an Ebola type virus, rather than a bacteria.
Not that this outbreak isn't worrying with global travel being what it is, then at some point a real dangerous disease will hit. The Reverend Malthus may prove to be right in the end, and God help all of us.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1203983/Second-man-dies-pneumonic-plague-China-places-town-quarantine.html#ixzz0WL4WgPON
I don't think we need to run out just yet and paint red crosses on our doors, but this is a scary plague it did after all kill between a third to a half of Europes population in the 1300's and has reappeared at intervals in Europe untill the 17th century with devastating results.
It was said of this plague that you would breakfast with your family and dine with your ancestors.
Hopefully the Chinese authorities will contain this more effectively than the world contained Swine Flu, otherwise we will end up asking God to have mercy on us.
- Alan Smith, Merseyside, 04/8/2009 14:44
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