Africa: Plague update in the DRC
In a follow-up on the plague outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), through April 20 this year, a total of 259 cases and seven deaths were reported.
Most of cases are bubonic plague, but with a few cases of pneumonic plague.
Three health districts (Rethy, Logo, Rimba) are affected in Ituri province where the disease is endemic.
Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis. It is found in animals throughout the world, most commonly rats but other rodents like ground squirrels, prairie dogs, chipmunks, rabbits and marmots in China. Fleas typically serve as the vector for plague.
People can also get infected through direct contact with an infected animal, through inhalation and in the case of pneumonic plague, person to person.
Yersinia pestis is treatable with antibiotics if started early enough.
There are three forms of human plague; bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic.