China is moving swiftly to quarantine an area that has seen three men die of pneumonic plague, the bacteria of which, Yersinia pestis, is the same bacteria that caused the bubonic plague.
Chinese officials have quarantined the town of Ziketan, home to 10,000 people in the northwest province of Qinghai. Police have also set up checkpoints around the area in question while medics work to disinfect the entire town.
About 10 other people inside the town have so far contracted the disease, according to state media. No-one is being allowed leave the area, and the authorities are trying to track down people who had contact with the men who died.
Health officials say there’s no need for letting fear rule in this case since modern medicine is well equipped to handle the breakout — mostly due to the fact that health officials have a lot more knowledge handling this type of infectious disease as they do other, newly-formed ones, such as H1N1 or Avian Flu.
Will will follow this breaking news story closely — be sure to check back for updates.