| PLAGUE |
Plague is transmitted among rodents and to humans by flea bite or ingestion of the faeces of fleas. It can also be transmitted human to human when a plague victim develops pneumonia and spreads infected droplets by coughing. An epidemic may be started this way. Two types of plague, bubonic and pneumonic, can occur. The incubation period is 2 to 10 days but maybe as short as a few hours for pneumonic plague. Plague has occurred in
Africa Angola, Botswana, Kenya,
Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nambia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire,
Zimbabwe.
Asia Myanmar, Mongolia, China, Vietnam, India.
North America United States: California, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and New
Mexico.
South America Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.
The risk of exposure is generally confined to rural and highland areas. Persons hunting camping, or backpacking for prolonged periods in these areas are at risk. Breakdown in sanitation as in a natural disaster may lead to an outbreak in urban areas. An outbreak of plague occurred in India in 1994. Tetracycline 500mg q.i.d. during periods of exposure is advisable
Current Plague Infected Areas: www.cdc.gov/travel/blusheet.htm
(usually at
bottom of yellow fever infected areas)
Also see disease outbreaks:
http://www.who.int/emc/outbreak_news/index.html
WHO year book:
www.who.int\ith\chapter05_07.html