A second man has died of pneumonic plague in a remote town of more than 10,000 people in north-west China.
To prevent further spread, the town of Ziketan has been sealed off and about 10 other people inside the town have also contracted the disease.
Pneumonic plague attacks the lungs and can spread from person to person or from animals to people. The first signs are fever, headache, weakness, and rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and sometimes bloody or watery sputum. This eventually progresses for 2 – 4 days into respiratory failure and shock.
The local health bureau has warned anyone with a cough or fever who has visited the town since mid-July to seek medical treatment.
A spokeswoman for the World Health Organization, Vivian Tan, praised the Chinese for reacting quickly and for getting the situation under control. For the full story please go to: