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Published On: Tue, Aug 27th, 2013

Kyrgyzstan: One dead, three others sickened by bubonic plague; First cases in three decades

Health officials in the Central Asian country of  Kyrgyzstan are reporting that a teenage boy  from the small mountain village Ichke-Zhergez in the east of the country died from the bubonic plague, according to an AFP report.

Kyrgyzstan Image/CIA

Kyrgyzstan Image/CIA

The victim, a 15-year-old herder who died last Thursday, was confirmed with the lethal bacterial disease on Monday.

“We suspect that the patient was infected with the plague through the bite of a flea,” Tolo Isakov, a ministry official who heads the sanitation department, said in Bishkek on Monday.

In addition, the AFP reports that three others, who had contact with the teen Temirbek Isakunov, are exhibiting symptoms consistent with bubonic plague.

Scores of others who had contact with the teen are currently under observation.

Isakov says the last recorded case of bubonic plague occurred in Kyrgyzstan 30 years ago.

Health authorities are playing down the prospects of a plague epidemic; however, the country has reportedly  tightened control on its border and opened up border sanitary and quarantine stations.

Flea  Image/CDC

Flea Image/CDC

Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis. It is found in animals throughout the world, most commonly rats but other rodents like ground squirrels, prairie dogs, chipmunks, rabbits and voles. Fleas typically serve as the vector of plague. Human cases have been linked to the domestic cats and dogs that brought infected fleas into the house.

People can also get infected through direct contact with an infected animal, through inhalation and in the case of pneumonic plague, person to person.

Yersinia pestis is treatable with antibiotics if started early enough.

There are three forms of human plague; bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic.

Bubonic plague: This is the most common form. In this form, the bacteria enter the body through the bite of an infected flea or rodent. Here the bacteria infect the lymphatic system. After a few days to week, the person will experience fever, chills, weakness, and swollen lymph glands. These are called buboes.

Untreated bubonic plague is fatal about half the time.

Septicemic plague: This form is also contracted from a flea or rodent bite. Sometimes it appears subsequent to untreated bubonic or pneumonic plague. It involves bloodstream dissemination to all areas of the body. Buboes do not occur. Symptoms are endotoxic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Untreated septicemic plague is nearly always fatal.

Pneumonic plague: Probably the most serious form of plague and it’s when the bacteria infect the lungs and cause pneumonia. It is contracted when the bacteria is inhaled (primary) or develops when bubonic or septicemic plague spreads to the lungs.

Pneumonic plague is contagious and can be transmitted person to person. It is highly communicable under appropriate climate conditions, overcrowding and cool temperatures. Untreated pneumonic plague is frequently fatal.

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About the Author

- Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today and hosts the podcast, Outbreak News Interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify Robert is politically Independent and a born again Christian Follow @bactiman63

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