The World Health Organization is scrambling to get medicine and workers in the Congo because of a plague outbreak. Doctors without Borders are already in the eastern part of the country struggling to contain the outbreak.

There are two types of plague, pneumonic and bubonic, both bacterial. Of the two pneumonic is the most fatal. Millions have died in the past because no treatment was available.

In the Congo, there are about 1 thousand cases a year, and 2% are pneumonic.

The epicentre is believed to be an open pit diamond mine. 61 miners have died, hundreds are ill. This is an airborne disease. Left untreated, the vast majority of people die.

Adding to the concern is the fact that once people started getting ill, hundreds of miners and those in surrounding areas fled. Those with pneumonic plague need to be quarantined. 7 thousand people worked at the mine.
The other difficulty was that because the mine is in an isolated region and health care facilities are not close, it took two months for medical personnel to find out what was occurring.

Current World Health Organization Information on Congo outbreak

Facts about pneumonic and bubonic plague

How is plague spread?

Bubonic plague is transmitted primarily by the bite from infected fleas; however, transmission can occur by bites or scratches from infected wild rodents and cats, or contact with tissue from infected animals. Pneumonic plague is far more contagious because it is spread through the air by sneezing or coughing.

What are the symptoms of plague?

Initial symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and extreme exhaustion. Swollen and tender lymph nodes near where the infected flea bit the person are typical of bubonic plague. Pneumonic plague usually presents with a cough, bloody sputum and difficulty breathing.

How soon after infection do symptoms appear?

The incubation period for both types of plague is 2 to 7 days after exposure to the bacteria.

How is plague diagnosed?

Plague is diagnosed by isolating the bacteria from sputum, blood, spinal fluid, or infected glands.

What is the treatment for plague?

Bubonic plague can be effectively treated with certain widely-available antibiotics. If untreated, it can be fatal in approximately 50-60% of infected persons. Pneumonic plague is almost always fatal if not treated quickly after the onset of symptoms.