Pneumonic plague reported in remote western China

Three deaths and several illnesses are reported. Health officials close access to Ziketan, a town of 10,000 in Qinghai province that is mostly populated by Tibetans.
By Barbara Demick and Joshua Frank
August 4, 2009

Reporting from Beijing -- Chinese health officials have cordoned off a remote western town after three deaths caused by the rare but deadly pneumonic plague.

The victims lived in Ziketan, a town of 10,000 in Qinghai province, which is mostly populated by Tibetans.

The first victim was a 32-year-old herdsman who died Thursday, four days after falling ill with a fever and cough. State radio reported that the man contracted the illness from his dog, which apparently was infected by a flea. The herdsman's 37-year-old neighbor died Sunday and a 64-year-old man died Monday.

Nine other people were reported to be ill or under observation, one of them in critical condition, at the Tibetan Hospital of Xinghai county.
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