Melanie Lofgren
09/03/09
12:09 p.m.
In a small farming town (just 300 miles outside of Beijing) around Ziketan in Qinghai, police disinfected the town due to the spread of a pneumonic plague. A Chinese government disease expert claims that these plagues are usually a result after hunters are contaminated while skinning infected animals. This pneumonic plague is an infection of the lungs and can be spread by coughing. According to the World Health Organization this plague can be very dangerous as it has the ability to kill a person within 24 hours after they are infected. The outbreak was first detected on the first of August and authorities sealed off and disinfected the town two days later. There were already three reported deaths that Thursday from the plague. In order to disinfect the town, the police are killing rodents and insects that may be carriers of the bacteria.
This can be a serious issue especially in a small rural town consisting mainly of farmers. They may not be as well educated about these issues as individuals in larger cities. In the article, it discussed how some people were frightened after the third death and fled the town which is not a wise choice. Some of these individuals may not of realized that they could be infected and are spreading the plague elsewhere. It is also frightening that this plague has side effects similar to the common cold or flu (coughing and a fever) and that it is capable of killing someone within one day. It is important for these farmers to be aware that they should protect themselves while dealing with dead animals that may have the infection and that these infections can spread to humans.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32279951/ns/world_news-asiapacific/
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