Bolivia issues health alert after plague outbreak - 14-year-old dies

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http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/health-alert-in-bolivia-after-teen-dies-20100825-13rjd.html

Health alert in Bolivia after teen dies August 25, 2010 - 1:49PM
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AFP

Bolivia has declared a health alert in northern La Paz department after a 14-year-old boy died from bubonic plague, the Health Ministry said.

An emergency plan will "increase health controls and prevention programs ... in communities where an increase of rodents and fleas has been reported," regional Health Minister Rene Barrientos said.

So far, eight cases of bubonic plague, including the death of the teenager, have been reported in Apolo, a town with 5,000 inhabitants bordering Peru, where three people have died after an outbreak of plague in the past two months.

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Re: Bolivia issues health alert after plague outbreak - 14-year-old dies

http://www.la-razon.com/version.php?ArticleId=116522&a=1&EditionId=2263

Spanish to English translationShow romanization
Bubonic plague is charged a life in La Paz
Apollo. On Wednesday, the area will enter a team of specialists
Wilma Perez - La Paz Rate:
123 456
Results:
rating: 3



Affected municipality. A panoramic view of the area to be operated by the Departmental Health especialistas.El (Headquarters) La Paz said yesterday epidemiological alert after confirming the department, laboratory, the death of the first victim for Bubonic Plague. Three other suspects, all in Apollo.

The director of Locations La Paz, Rene Barrientos, reported that the Government has already issued the declaration and this will allow pest?gena enter the area to control the outbreak of evil which is fatal if the patient is not treated.

"The Governor declared an epidemiological alert in the department and therefore, together with technicians from the Ministry of Health and the Offices, formed a team of containment and response. They will enter the communities where they reported an increase in rodents and fleas to proceed to eliminate them, "he said.

On 11 August, the government reported that prevention efforts were initiated in the communities of the municipality of Apollo, with a possible outbreak of bubonic plague, after Peru declared a health alert by the appearance of evil and threatened to extend to Lima.

Then the Headquarters sent technicians to measure the density of fleas. It was evident that increased the number of these insects and reported the first suspected case in a young man of 14 years. Days later reported three suspected cases and the death of the first patient.

Commission. Barrientos said that tomorrow the experts paid to 14 communities for a fence Apollo health with the goal of eliminating rodents and fleas, to prevent insects from passing to other animals.

"It will make an environmental sanitation control, that is going to make a spray chemical treatment so that once dead rodents, fleas do not switch to other pet rodents," he said.

The authority health department recommended that the population of the area called pest?gena, ie the town of Apollo, not to kill their own to fleas or rodents because all you will achieve will be to expand the disease to other areas.

Barrientos said that the technicians, along with the specialists who will enter the area, will do work to prevent and control vector is the Xenopsilla cheopis, which is the flea. "With these measures we want to avoid this plague, but is not visible in the bubonic form, but avoid affecting more people and that is passed to pneumonia," he said.

With these tasks is what is sought to protect the estimated 5,000 people in the area since decades pest?gena area is considered the country with the danger that the disease is transferred to other areas through animal or human bites.

Barrientos described that after the flea (infected with the bacteria Yersenia pestis) bites humans and after an incubation period of two to eight days, appears with fever, headache and chills. After a few hours or days, you notice the presence of bubo-extrusion painful to touch, one to 10 centimeters in diameter-which is generally located in the groin, armpit or neck and that can sometimes ooze (take pus). In this phase, the patient goes to sepsis, that's when the disease enters the blood, however, the third phase is the most dangerous because it goes into the lungs because the bacteria are spread through the air.

What is the bubonic plague?


Data
An acute infectious disease is rare. Yersenia pestis bacteria is transmitting plague through the bite of the flea Xenopsilla cheopis, found in wild rodents, such as the rattus rattus.

[Vibrant62]

Re: Bolivia issues health alert after plague outbreak - 14-year-old dies

Alert: As FTs resident expert on the Peru outbreak, how close geographically are the two outbreaks? My thought here is whether this could have spread with rats from neighbouring Peru, or this simply indicates a wider resurgence of the Y. Pestis bacteria amongst rats and other carriers in the general environment in this general region of S. america?