Fears of an outbreak of the plague have been raised after it was confirmed that a second man had died in a remote area in North-West China. The town where the two men lived, containing some 10,000 people, has been sealed off.
The second death was of a 37 year old man who was the neighbour of the first victim, a herdsman from Zikiten in the Qinghai province, a region mostly populated by Tibetans. So far, 10 people in the area are believed to be infected. One report has suggested that this is the 3rd outbreak of the infection in 10 years.
The two men died of the pneumonic plague, which attacks the lungs and spreads both from animals to people and from person to person. It is caused by the same bacterium as that which causes the bubonic plague, with the World Health Organisation saying that is is the most virulent form of plague, capable of killing someone within 24 hours.
Chinese officials say that they acted quickly to contain the infection and have told the BBC that the situation is now under control. The World Health Organisation say that though they have not been asked for assistance, the remoteness of the area should help contain the infection.
On their website, the WHO advised that early diagnosis and treatment with anti-biotics could reduce mortality to 15% and said that they did not expect the latest outbreak to cause the same number of fatalities as have historically been reported. In 2003 182 people died in 9 different countries, mostly in Africa.