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| Second plague death in west China | Second plague death in west China |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A second man has died of pneumonic plague in a remote part of north-western China where thousands of people have been quarantined. | A second man has died of pneumonic plague in a remote part of north-western China where thousands of people have been quarantined. |
| The man, 37, was identified by Chinese state media as a neighbour of the first victim, who was 32, in Ziketan, near Xinghai in Qinghai Province. | |
| The sparsely populated area is mostly inhabited by Tibetans. | The sparsely populated area is mostly inhabited by Tibetans. |
| Pneumonic plague, which attacks the lungs, can spread from person to person, or from animals to people. | Pneumonic plague, which attacks the lungs, can spread from person to person, or from animals to people. |
| This area is quite remote and the population is very small so this should make it easier to contain Vivian Tan a WHO spokeswoman in China | |
| Initial symptoms include fever, headache and shortness of breath. | |
| Local officials in north-western China have told the BBC that the situation is under control, and that schools and offices are open as usual. | |
| But the authorities have sealed off Ziketan, which has some 10,000 residents. | |
| No-one is being allowed leave the area, according to one official, and authorities are trying to track down people who had contact with the men who died. | |
| The local health bureau has also warned anyone with a cough or fever who has visited the town since mid-July to seek medical treatment. | |
| Outbreak anticipated | |
| Health officials in Qinghai have been concerned about pneumonic plague for some time. | |
| In Febuary, they said they had sent out 55 teams across the province to help monitor and control the disease. | |
| One Chinese media report said this was the third outbreak of the disease in Qinghai within the last 10 years. | |
| According to the World Health Organization, pneumonic plague is the most virulent and least common form of plague. | |
| Untreated, it has a very high case-fatality ratio, the WHO says. | |
| The WHO was informed on Saturday of the outbreak but has not been asked for help. | |
| Vivian Tan, a WHO spokeswoman in China, said authorities had reacted quickly. | |
| "When it comes to outbreaks of the plague it's always quite worrying, but it looks like the authorities have got the situation under control," she said. | |
| "This area is quite remote and the population is very small so this should make it easier to contain." |