57 plague cases found in Congo, WHO reports

Mar 4, 2005 (CIDRAP News) – A World Health Organization (WHO) team on a medical mission to contain a plague outbreak in the Congo has found more suspected cases, but the scope of the outbreak remains smaller than initially feared.

Investigators have found 54 suspected cases and 3 probable cases around the Zobia diamond mine in Oriental province, the WHO said in a news release today. The 57 cases include 16 deaths. All but two of the cases are the rarest form of plague, pneumonic; the other two are septicemic plague.

The data are based on current findings as well as retrospective assessment, the WHO reported. Preliminary laboratory testing at the Kisangani Provincial Laboratory has confirmed the disease in 10 of 18 sputum specimens.

In addition to testing, investigators continue to track and assess 125 people who may have been exposed to plague victims. Two isolation centers are being built as well, the WHO said.

Reports from the Ituri district in late February indicated at least 61 people had died and hundreds might have been sickened by pneumonic plague. Poor sanitation and close working conditions in the Zobia diamond mine, which employs 7,000 miners, were thought to have promoted the disease's spread.

Many miners fled the area upon learning of the outbreak. The WHO, concerned that miners could spread the disease to other regions, sent a team on Feb 25 to begin intensive surveillance.

Pneumonic plague can spread from person to person via aerosolized bacteria, instead of the usual route of flea bites or infective materials. The disease can be fatal in as little as 48 hours, but it can be treated with antibiotics.

See also:

Mar 4 WHO update
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2005_03_04/en/