"Deadliest weapon so far... the plague"

[unpathedhaunt]

Deadliest weapon so far... the plague


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2146286.ece
ANTI-TERROR bosses last night hailed their latest ally in the war on terror ? the BLACK DEATH.
At least 40 al-Qaeda fanatics died horribly after being struck down with the disease that devastated Europe in the Middle Ages.

The killer bug, also known as the plague, swept through insurgents training at a forest camp in Algeria, North Africa. It came to light when security forces found a body by a roadside.

The victim was a terrorist in AQLIM (al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb), the largest and most powerful al-Qaeda group outside the Middle East.

It trains Muslim fighters to kill British and US troops.

Now al-Qaeda chiefs fear the plague has been passed to other terror cells ? or Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

One security source said: ?This is the deadliest weapon yet in the war against terror. Most of the terrorists do not have the basic medical supplies needed to treat the disease.

?It spreads quickly and kills within hours. This will be really worrying al-Qaeda.?

Black Death comes in various forms.

Bubonic Plague is spread by bites from infected rat fleas. Symptoms include boils in the groin, neck and armpits. In Pneumonic Plague, airborn bacteria spread like flu.

It can be in the body for more than a week ? highly contagious but not revealing tell-tale symptoms.


Deadly ... the plague bacteria causes horrific symptoms
The al-Qaeda epidemic began in the cave hideouts of AQLIM in Tizi Ouzou province, 150km east of the capital Algiers. The group, led by wanted terror boss Abdelmalek Droudkal, was forced to turn its shelters in the Yakouren forest into mass graves and flee.

The extremists supporting madman Osama bin Laden went to Bejaia and Jijel provinces ? hoping the plague did not go with them.

A source said: ?The emirs (leaders) fear surviving terrorists will surrender to escape a horrible death.?

AQLIM boss Droudkal claims to command around 1,000 insurgents. Training camps are also based in Morocco, Tunisia and Nigeria.

AQLIM bombed the UN headquarters in Algiers in 2007, killing 41. Attacks across Algeria last year killed at least 70 people.

In an interview last July, Droudkal boasted his cell was in constant contact with other al-Qaeda ?brothers?.

 

[Laidback Al]

Re: "Deadliest weapon so far... the plague"

Dangerous diseases infect indiscriminately. Such diseases do not respect geographic boundaries or political persuasions.

 

[mixin]

Re: "Deadliest weapon so far... the plague"

A number of al-Qaida militants in training have been killed by
plague, the disease believed to have ravaged Europe in the Middle
Ages. At least 40 al-Qaida followers have died since the disease
swept through a training camp in Algeria, as was reported on Monday
[19 Jan 2009]. The deaths became known when security forces found a
body beside a road.

The victims were associated with "al-Qaida in the Land of the Islamic
Maghreb," the largest and most powerful al-Qaida group outside the
Middle East. Al-Qaida leaders said they fear the plague has spread to
other cells or to Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. The epidemic began
in the hideouts of AQLIM (al-Qaida in the Land of the Islamic
Maghreb) in Algiers, sources said. The group fled to Bejaia and Jijel
provinces.

--
Communicated by
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>

[Whether person-to-person spread of _Y. pestis_ via pneumonic plague,
the only form of human plague transmissible between people, has
occurred is not clear.

The outbreak has been reported to have occurred in Tizi Ouzou
province, 150 km east of the capital Algiers. In June 2003, an
outbreak of plague emerged in the Oran area of Algeria. During the
following weeks, a total of 11 confirmed and 7 suspected cases of
plague were reported from the same area. All cases were bubonic
plague; septicemia and coma later developed in 2 patients. According
to national health records, the last outbreak in Oran was in 1946,
and the last human cases of plague occurred in Algeria in 1950 (1).

The 2003 outbreak brought to mind the novel written by Nobel
Prize-winning novelist Albert Camus, "The Plague," which chronicled a
1940s plague outbreak in Oran, Algeria, which began with a rat
die-off in and around the apartment building of the protagonist Dr.
Bernard Rieux.
http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,75687

 

[vinny]

Re: "Deadliest weapon so far... the plague"

what are the chances of this spreading to other countries and becoming a major problem for all of us........?

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: "Deadliest weapon so far... the plague"

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+1]CDC Plague Home Page[/SIZE][/FONT] <table align="left" bgcolor="#ffcc99" width="30%"> <tbody><tr> <td width="428"></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="38" width="428">[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-2] Male Xenopsylla cheopis (oriental rat flea) engorged with blood. This flea is the primary vector of plague in most large plague epidemics in Asia, Africa, and South America. Both male and female fleas can transmit the infection.
View enlarged image.[/SIZE][/FONT]</td> </tr> </tbody></table> [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Introduction: Plague is an infectious disease of animals and humans caused by a bacterium named Yersinia pestis.[/SIZE][/FONT]

​

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1] People usually get plague from being bitten by a rodent flea that is carrying the plague bacterium or by handling an infected animal. Millions of people in Europe died from plague in the Middle Ages, when human homes and places of work were inhabited by flea-infested rats. Today, modern antibiotics are effective against plague, but if an infected person is not treated promptly, the disease is likely to cause illness or death.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Risk:Wild rodents in certain areas around the world are infected with plague. Outbreaks in people still occur in rural communities or in cities. They are usually associated with infected rats and rat fleas that live in the home. In the United States, the last urban plague epidemic occurred in Los Angeles in 1924-25. Since then, human plague in the United States has occurred as mostly scattered cases in rural areas (an average of 10 to 15 persons each year). Globally, the World Health Organization reports 1,000 to 3,000 cases of plague every year. In North America, plague is found in certain animals and their fleas from the Pacific Coast to the Great Plains, and from southwestern Canada to Mexico. Most human cases in the United States occur in two regions: 1) northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Colorado; and 2) California, southern Oregon, and far western Nevada. Plague also exists in Africa, Asia, and South America (see map).[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]References:[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Gage KL. Plague. In: Colliers L, Balows A, Sussman M, Hausles WJ, eds. Topley and Wilson?s microbiology and microbiological infections, vol 3. London: Edward Arnold Press, 1998:885-903.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Campbell GL, Dennis DT. Plague and other Yersinia infections. In: Kasper DL, et al; eds. Harrison?s principles of internal medicine. 14th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 1998:975-83.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Bahmanyar M, Cavanaugh DC. Plague Manual. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1976.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Perry RD, Fetherston JD. Yersinia pestis--etiologic agent of plague. Clin Microbiol Rev, 1997;10:35-66.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Butler T. Plague and other Yersinia infections. New York, Plenum Press, 1983. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Click here for more comprehensive references.[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1] [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1][/SIZE][/FONT]

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: "Deadliest weapon so far... the plague"

Facts about Pneumonic Plague

Plague is an infectious disease that affects animals and humans. It is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. This bacterium is found in rodents and their fleas and occurs in many areas of the world, including the United States.
Y. pestis is easily destroyed by sunlight and drying. Even so, when released into air, the bacterium will survive for up to one hour, although this could vary depending on conditions.
Pneumonic plague is one of several forms of plague. Depending on circumstances, these forms may occur separately or in combination:

• Pneumonic plague occurs when Y. pestis infects the lungs. This type of plague can spread from person to person through the air. Transmission can take place if someone breathes in aerosolized bacteria, which could happen in a bioterrorist attack. Pneumonic plague is also spread by breathing in Y. pestis suspended in respiratory droplets from a person (or animal) with pneumonic plague. Becoming infected in this way usually requires direct and close contact with the ill person or animal. Pneumonic plague may also occur if a person with bubonic or septicemic plague is untreated and the bacteria spread to the lungs.
• Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague. This occurs when an infected flea bites a person or when materials contaminated with Y. pestis enter through a break in a person's skin. Patients develop swollen, tender lymph glands (called buboes) and fever, headache, chills, and weakness. Bubonic plague does not spread from person to person.
• Septicemic plague occurs when plague bacteria multiply in the blood. It can be a complication of pneumonic or bubonic plague or it can occur by itself. When it occurs alone, it is caused in the same ways as bubonic plague; however, buboes do not develop. Patients have fever, chills, prostration, abdominal pain, shock, and bleeding into skin and other organs. Septicemic plague does not spread from person to person.

Symptoms and Treatment

With pneumonic plague, the first signs of illness are fever, headache, weakness, and rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and sometimes bloody or watery sputum. The pneumonia progresses for 2 to 4 days and may cause respiratory failure and shock. Without early treatment, patients may die.


Early treatment of pneumonic plague is essential. To reduce the chance of death, antibiotics must be given within 24 hours of first symptoms. Streptomycin, gentamicin, the tetracyclines, and chloramphenicol are all effective against pneumonic plague.
Antibiotic treatment for 7 days will protect people who have had direct, close contact with infected patients. Wearing a close-fitting surgical mask also protects against infection.
A plague vaccine is not currently available for use in the United States.



http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/plague/factsheet.asp

 

[unpathedhaunt]

Re: "Deadliest weapon so far... the plague"

not credible?

Black Death 'was caused by the Ebola virus'
By Steve Connor Science Editor
Monday, 23 July 2001


History textbooks have got it wrong about the Black Death, which they say was caused by bubonic plague spread by rats and their fleas. A new study suggests that it was in fact caused by an Ebola-like virus transmitted directly from person to person.

History textbooks have got it wrong about the Black Death, which they say was caused by bubonic plague spread by rats and their fleas. A new study suggests that it was in fact caused by an Ebola-like virus transmitted directly from person to person.

If the findings are confirmed it could mean that a modern form of the Black Death can emerge without requiring the insanitary conditions of the Middle Ages.

Generations of schoolchildren have been told that the plague bacteria transmitted by flea bites caused the great pestilences of medieval Europe which first appeared in the 14th century and killed at least 25 million people – more than a quarter of the entire population – over a 300-year period. But two infectious disease specialists who have analysed the Black Death have concluded that it bears a closer resemblance to modern outbreaks of haemorrhagic fever caused by the Ebola virus.

They also claim that a key mutation in a gene that protects people against infection by the Aids virus is estimated to have appeared at about the same time as the Black Death and served a similar function in that it gave carriers some protection against the virus.

Both observations point to an Ebola-like virus – rather than bubonic plague bacteria – being responsible, according to professors Christopher Duncan and Susan Scott, of the University of Liverpool.

"Intuitively, the Black Death has all the hallmarks of a viral disease rather than one caused by plague bacteria. The history books are wrong, there's little doubt about that," said Professor Duncan, who studies the way epidemics spread.

The first recorded outbreak of the Black Death occurred at the Sicilian port of Messina in 1347 and was brought in by Genoese galleys returning from the Crimea on the Black Sea.

A year later the disease arrived in the West Country of England and soon spread to towns and cities where it caused fear and panic among a superstitious population who thought the red blotches on the chest of affected individuals were "God's tokens".

Professor Duncan said people soon learnt that the only effective way of dealing with the Black Death was to put affected families and even entire villages into quarantine for 40 days. "A quarantine period was first instituted in the city states of northern Italy in the late 14th century and this was gradually adopted throughout Europe and maintained for the next 300 years until the plague disappeared," professors Duncan and Scott say in their book Biology of Plagues.

A quarantine would not have been effective if the disease was spread by rat fleas," said Professor Duncan. "Rats don't respect quarantines. This disease was transmitted directly from person to person which suggests an infectious virus."

Bubonic plagues spread in a complex fashion because they rely on the interaction of fleas, rats and people. Yet the pattern of spread of the Black Death was relatively simple and predictable, indicating person-to-person transmission.

"Endemic bubonic plague is essentially a rural disease because it is an infection of rodents," the book says. "The Black Death, in contrast, struck indiscriminately in the countryside and towns."

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...ath-was-caused-by-the-ebola-virus-678675.html

The symptoms of the Black Death point to a haemorrhagic fever caused by an Ebola-like virus. The fever struck suddenly, it caused aching and bleeding from internal organs, as well as red blotches caused by the effusion of blood under the skin – classic symptoms of Ebola-like illnesses.

Professor Duncan said there was further evidence to back his theory in the form of a mutation in a key gene – called CCR5 – involved in conferring some protection against HIV. Scientists have found that this mutation arose only in Europe at about the time of the Black Death and its high frequency suggests it probably offered resistance against the virus.

Professor Duncan said: "Historians jumped on the bubonic plague idea in the early 20th-century when the disease was first described in India but ... it was certainly not the causative agent in the Black Death or in any other of the outbreaks in England."

 

[Farmer]

Re: "Deadliest weapon so far... the plague"

what are the chances of this spreading to other countries and becoming a major problem for all of us........?

I think that it is possible that PNEUMONIC plague may have limited spread from infected persons to persons in other countries. This is the form that is transmissable person-to-person. Outbreaks have been reported such as that in India during 1994.
http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/122/2/151

This paper from EID estimates an R0 of >1:

Epidemiologic Determinants for Modeling Pneumonic Plague Outbreaks
Raymond Gani* and Steve Leach*

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol2no1/fritz.htm

However, it is unlikely for it to become a worldwide pandemic (that is my interpretation of "major problem for all of us"), as if it is detected early in the course of illness, it is effectively treated with antimicrobials.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: "Deadliest weapon so far... the plague"

what are the chances of this spreading to other countries and becoming a major problem for all of us........?

Excerpts from an article with quotes from a doctor:

Al Qaeda, plagues and the Prairie Dogs

(snipped)

But as a doctor, the first thing one wonders is: Will the plague spread?

Answer: Probably not

......
Nowadays, plague can be treated with common antibiotics, so only the most isolated villages/terror camps would have such a high mortality.

......

Second question: Was this an example of biological warfare, either by western bad guys against the terrorists, or because the terrorists were trying to cook up a batch of bad germs to kill their enemies?

And again, the answer is: Probably not.

Plague outbreaks are not unknown in Algeria, the most famous one the outbreak in 1943 memorialized by Camus in ?The Plague?, and the last outbreak, due to rat fleas, in 1993.

..........................

But the real danger in the US might be killer prairie dogs.

...........................

Luckily, ordinary antibiotics and elimination of vectors would probably stop such a plague today; the big worry is if someone developed an aerosolized (spray powder) of plague that could be released in a public area as a bioweapon, especially if the strain used was resistant to ordinary antibiotics.

Luckily, the technique of developing such an aeorsolized bacteria requires sophisticated knowledge and laboratories to develop, but after the Anthrax epidemic proved that there are ways for lay people to produce such a powder, such worries are very real indeed.

.

 

[Thornton]

Re: "Deadliest weapon so far... the plague"

The 2003 occurrence of plague in Algeria generated substantial interest with one death. Imagine that 40 deaths would spark intense investigation.
The second article from 2006 actually predicts the risk of subsequent outbreaks in the area from a reservoir of infected fleas.

http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/13/10/1459.htm
Abstract
An outbreak of plague occurred in the region of Oran, Algeria, from June to July 2003. Algeria had not reported this disease for >50 years. Eighteen bubonic cases were identified, and Yersinia pestis was isolated from 6 patients. Except for the index case-patient, all patients recovered. Targeted chemoprophylaxis, sanitation, and vector control played a crucial role in controlling the outbreak. Epidemiologic and biomolecular findings strongly suggested the existence of a local animal reservoir during this period, but its origin (resurgence or re-importation) could not be determined. This sudden and unexpected reemergence of plague, close to an important commercial seaport, is a textbook illustration of a public health event of international importance. It also demonstrates that the danger of plague reoccurrence is not limited to the currently indexed natural foci.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol12no12/06-0522.htm
Abstract
After an outbreak of human plague, 95 Xenopsylla cheopis fleas from Algeria were tested for Yersinia pestis with PCR methods. Nine fleas were definitively confirmed to be infected with Y. pestis biovar orientalis. Our results demonstrate the persistence of a zoonotic focus of Y. pestis in Algeria.

Despite the absence of new cases since June 2003, the risk for further outbreaks remains high. Surveillance should be maintained to monitor this natural focus and potential spread resulting from climatic or habitat influences (10). A strong case could be made to extend surveillance to adjacent countries such as Libya and Mauritania, which also have natural foci of plague, according to the World Health Organization. In conclusion we believe that detection of Y. pestis in fleas can be a useful tool for epidemiologic surveillance of plague in specific settings and could thus serve to study the risk for reemergence of the disease.