Updates!: One would expect more news or updates on this sealed off city in China, nothing came out after the initial news?...Whatever news came out on this issue was in the month of July?.
Plague is treatable disease, diligence and scientific approach is a must but not panicky and seal off of a city. Here is a NIH site with a treatment info:Image on the left: This Flea is a carrier of Plague Bacteria.
at the bottom is the image of the bacteria: Yersinia Pestis
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PubMed Health: Plague Treatment
People with the plague need immediate treatment. If treatment is not received within 24 hours of when the first symptoms occur, death can result.
Antibiotics such as streptomycin, gentamicin, doxycycline, or ciprofloxacin are used to treat plague. Oxygen, intravenous fluids, and respiratory support usually are also needed.
Patients with pneumonic plague should be strictly isolated from caregivers and other patients. People who have had contact with anyone infected by pneumonic plague should be watched carefully and given antibiotics as a preventive measure.
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| City of Yumen, China |
What exactly is happening in Yumen City right now:The following news piece is not related to our field of Neuromonitoring but to disease, medicine and general health care. The way this disease and a case of death has been dealt with a country as large as China is bit unusual and rather bizarre, why?.
MSN News: The 30,000 people living in Yumen in the northwestern province of are not being allowed to leave, and police at roadblocks on the perimeter of the city are telling motorists to find alternative routes, state broadcaster (CCTV) said. The 38-year-old victim died last Wednesday, the report said, and had been in contact with a dead marmot, a small furry animal which lives on grasslands and is related to the squirrel. "The city has enough rice, flour and oil to supply all its residents for up to one month," the report added. "Local residents and those in quarantine are all in stable condition."
"Live Science" in its latest news report published a piece (news headline and link posted below) about single case of "Plague" death in a small city called Yumen in China. According to the news sources, there is only one Plague death and no other reported case of death or ill (or perhaps the China media or govt did not say so?). Why would a country like China which has good research and science facility and medical facility will take a rather unscientific and scary decision to seal off the town/city.
As per CDC and experts in the field, this is a treatable disease if the patient or victim is brought to the right treatment facility in the earlier stages of infection. Hope some Chinese experts in the field of infectious disease inform the authorities about this treatments.
If it is a Bubonic Plague and if there is treatment available, why did the man died?, and why the city authorities sealing off the city?. It seems the man who died of Plague was interacted with more than 100s of people in that town, that is still not a reason to seal off an entire town, especially the kind of plague infected the dead person was Bubonic Plague, a less infectious and not transferable form of plague. Unless, he had died of other variants of Plague that can be transferred from one human to another, why would such a extreme decision to seal off the city was taken. Or are there more infections that news is not yet out to the public?. This is exactly why I call this Bizzare, this kind of actions will scare the people and create a fear, that is not at all inevitable given the circumstances of this disease, infact the US authorities say every now and then they come across rare cases of plague right here in USA!!. We don't seal off a town or city here...the patient gets the attention of right type of experts and doctors to provide treatment.
On a second thought, I am inclined to think the China is taking every precaution they can because of their past history of plague that devastated the nations.
Note: This Editorial is not to blame China or say insensitive thing about the nation or its actions, it is finally left to them to deal with the situation as it is appropriate, but a thorough scientific approach is a must.
Chinese Officials Seal Off 'Plague' City, Puzzling US Experts
by Rachael Rettner, LiveScience Staff Writer | July 22, 2014 06:20pm ET
