Northern Peru pneumonic plague cluster grows to 6

In a follow up to a report last week, reports out of Northern Peru say that there are now six confirmed cases of the deadly bacterial disease.

This image depicts a magnified view of an oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis. Image/CDC

According to a La Republica report (computer translated), Regional manager of Health, Jose Evangelista Vargas confirmed this weekend that there are six confirmed cases and another group that are waiting on laboratory analysis, “We are waiting for the laboratory tests of 6 other people that were evaluated for some symptoms of infection with the plague bacillus,Yersinia pestis. One of the new infected is a worker in a funeral home.”
There has been one fatality reported in a teen from the town of Visnea Mocanera. The report notes that in addition to the funeral home worker, a physician contracted the disease, likely nosocomially.

Pneumonic plague is 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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