The Pneumonic plague has hit China. It has already killed a 32-year-old man in Ziketan, according to the health authority.
There are also 11 other infected people who are relatives of the deceased. They are currently in stable condition in a local hospital.
The remaining 10,000 inhabitants of Ziketan, which covers an area of over 1,000 sq miles, have now been quarantined. A team of medical experts there is vigorously monitoring the disease.
Pneumonic plague is spread through the air and can be spread via coughing and sneezing, according to the World Health Organization, or WHO. It’s caused by the same bacteria that caused the bubonic plague, which wiped out about 25 million people in Europe back in the Middle Ages.
Bubonic plague, however, can be treated with antibiotics these days. Conversely, Pneumonic plague is still quite lethal and highly infectious. Humans can die within 24 hours of being infected.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this one.
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- Herdsman dies from plague in northwest China (ctv.ca)
- China plague death prompts alert (news.bbc.co.uk)
- Pneumonic Plague hits China, Thousands Quarantined (inquisitr.com)
- China Presses Quarantine Against Flu (nytimes.com)
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