Russia concerned about plague cases

BEIJING, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- China says Russia has tightened its border security, fearing the spread of pneumonic plague after an outbreak in its Qinghai province killed three people.

However, China Daily quoted a customs service spokesman in the Transbaikal area east of Siberia's Lake Baikal as telling Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that no signs of the infection have so far been detected near the Russian-Chinese border. Transbaikal is close to China and Mongolia.

In Qinghai, hundreds of miles from the Russian border, the northwest town of Ziketan has been sealed off following the late July outbreak of pneumonic plague, regarded as being more virulent that the bubonic variety, China Daily said.

The disease has infected 12 people, of whom three have died, the report said. One patient was in critical condition.

The newspaper quoted health authorities as saying they suspect the plague might have from a dog belonging to the disease's first human victim, a 32-year-old herdsman. The report said the dog died after contracting the plague from a sick wild marmot.

Health authorities said pneumonic plague usually is spread to humans through fleas that pass bacteria from animals, mouth-to-mouth contact or saliva exchanges among humans, or through having wounds exposed to sick animals, he said.