Thai Health Ministry imposes bubonic plague preventive measures at ports

[partington]

Partington is correct the rats (and mice) carry it (and die from it eventually) and the fleas spread it to humans. Plague is similar to Ebola because it is (as shown in the photos) a haemorrhagic fever - you eventually die with blood trickling out of all your orifices (not a pretty sight I'm sure). During the Black Death - when folks didn't have a clue about the disease some Cities were free of the disease and applied the tennets of the Bible to anyone coming from a City or area afflicted by the Plague (obviously being punished by God because they were all sinners). So if you wanted to enter the City you had to accept 3 things 1) destroy your all your possessions (often by burning them) 2) Chuck your clothes on the fire and put on a simple garment provided by the community you were entering - made of sack cloth (the itching and scratching of the rough fabric against your skin was meant to be part of the penance for your sins and 3) last of all put ash on your head. Part of the sack cloth and ash treatment for sinners. But in the process of burning your traveling trunk and baskets it ensured that no infected rodent entered - the fleas living in your doublet (a kinky garment with a flat that dropped to allow easy access to your genitals) also got toasted in the fire and the ash generally killed any fleas already resident in your hair. You entered the pious and much loved by God City with a garment provided by them which even if it did have fleas and lice were not infected.

Well all that ensured the City didn't get the plague and re-enforced the belief of the residents of the City that trusting in the words of the Bible and practicing what it preached was definitely the way to go.

Unfortunately this must be myth. There is no way that it could work because it does nothing about the rats which carry the disease. They are not prevented from entering, and nor are fleas that are riding on infected rats.

It is the rats, not the humans, that are the major disease reservoir, and any measures that ignored rats would be ineffective...

[SRC]

Plague was largely eliminated simply because it is treatable with most common antibiotics. There is usually nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately antibiotic resistant strains have been observed in a number of areas, including Madagascar. As far as I know there aren't any that are resistant to ALL antibiotics in current use, but it may delay effective treatment if you have to try several before one works, and this can allow the disease to take hold.

This is the reason why doctors and health authorities warn against overusing antibiotics for mild diseases, or for diseases which they have no effect on like viral flu or viral stomach upsets. Unfortunately Thailand is a hub of over the counter purchased antibiotics that the population use to self medicate.

This allows harmless bacteria in their bodies to become antibiotic resistant. Not a problem until they get a plague infection. The harmless bacteria can then transfer their antibiotic resistance to the plague bacteria by exchange of DNA (happens all the time in nature when bacteria co-occupy the same space). Then you get antibiotic resistant plague - big problem.

This is the reasoning behind the largely unheeded warnings not to use antibiotics unneccessarily.

It's so difficult to discern the truth about anything these days. This I believe and is one of the symptoms of Americanized heath care. And one of many reasons I no longer want to live in the US. If in fact this is the "Black Death" and there is a huge population if feril dogs, it could be a huge problem. Especially with the above problem.

I'm curious how they intend to handle the ship rats. I would think this is no easy feat. Though is easy to say.

[tigermonkey]

So much misinformation and confusion on here.

Firstly, the outbreak in Madagascar is just that - an outbreak of bubonic plague - about 40 people have died there from this outbreak and it needs to be contained rapidly, before it starts another pandemic. The last pandemic of Yersinia pestis started in northern China in about 1850, became completely out of control in India (due mostly to refusal of the Indians to cooperate with the British) and was finally declared to be finished world-wide after 1950.;

About the disease(s) - this is from memory, but I don't think much has changed since my days at medical school or subsequent upgrades. Yersinia pestis is a bacterium, which perpetuates in a continuous cycle between fleas and wild animals ( rodents/rats are favored). Humans and many other animals can be infected either by flea bites or by contact with any of the bodily fluids of an infected animal ( including humans). Initial symptoms are swollen lymph glands, fever, chills, abdominal pain, nausea/ vomiting. Unlike Ebola a patient can be contagious before symptoms present themselves. Early treatment is critical and there are several classes of antibiotics that are used (eg doxycyclin) . Amoxicillin is of no use in treating for Y. pestis. Mortality rates are quite low (under 10%) with early treatment.

Bubonic plaque is only one disease which can be caused by Y.pestis. Frequently an untreated case will progress to Septicemic plague ( Y.pestis infection of the blood) and/or Pneumonic plague (Y.pestis infection of the lungs). Either of these variants can also be the initial infection of the patient. Pneumonic plague is especially dangerous, with mortality rates at or close to 100%. When the lungs are infected with Y. pestis, the contagion can become airborne on moisture particles coughed out by the infected person.

The greatest factors in favour of the spread of this bacterium are ignorance and refusal to follow containment/isolation protocols.

[partington]

So do you get it form fleas ?

No, in a first step fleas infect rodents, dogs and cats who give it to humans. Better leave your fur coat at home this winter.

This is completely wrong. Rats carry the disease. Fleas bite the rats and swallow plague-infected blood. The same flea then bites humans and passes the infectious agents to humans through this bite, just like mosquitoes with malaria.

It is directly fleas that infect humans, NOT the host animals!

Thank you for providing this information. Will you indulge me by answering a question? I have no fears of contracting this, but hypothetically what risk is there to someone living in a modern city who has no pets or any contact with animals? I give dogs a wide berth and occasionally see a rat at the market but don't have any contact. Do the fleas fly? If so, how close would I have to be to an infected animal?

I know I can Google, but your explanations are very good and really easy to understand.

I don't really know the answer to this. In a modern city like Bangkok there are rats everywhere. So if there was a sizeable population of plague infected rats, this is what you would need to fear.

The fleas stay on the host animal most of the time, and leave it when it dies. Fleas can jump around 30 cm in one bound, so if you are sleeping 6ft from a dead rat in a wall, fleas could reach you easily in 6 jumps...

Most disease news stories are designed to frighten people into reading the story, so are almost invariably exaggerated and inaccurate. A plague outbreak is extremely unlikely.

Edited November 26, 2014 by partington

[SRC]

Partington is correct the rats (and mice) carry it (and die from it eventually) and the fleas spread it to humans. Plague is similar to Ebola because it is (as shown in the photos) a haemorrhagic fever - you eventually die with blood trickling out of all your orifices (not a pretty sight I'm sure). During the Black Death - when folks didn't have a clue about the disease some Cities were free of the disease and applied the tennets of the Bible to anyone coming from a City or area afflicted by the Plague (obviously being punished by God because they were all sinners). So if you wanted to enter the City you had to accept 3 things 1) destroy your all your possessions (often by burning them) 2) Chuck your clothes on the fire and put on a simple garment provided by the community you were entering - made of sack cloth (the itching and scratching of the rough fabric against your skin was meant to be part of the penance for your sins and 3) last of all put ash on your head. Part of the sack cloth and ash treatment for sinners. But in the process of burning your traveling trunk and baskets it ensured that no infected rodent entered - the fleas living in your doublet (a kinky garment with a flat that dropped to allow easy access to your genitals) also got toasted in the fire and the ash generally killed any fleas already resident in your hair. You entered the pious and much loved by God City with a garment provided by them which even if it did have fleas and lice were not infected.

Well all that ensured the City didn't get the plague and re-enforced the belief of the residents of the City that trusting in the words of the Bible and practicing what it preached was definitely the way to go.

Unfortunately this must be myth. There is no way that it could work because it does nothing about the rats which carry the disease. They are not prevented from entering, and nor are fleas that are riding on infected rats.

It is the rats, not the humans, that are the major disease reservoir, and any measures that ignored rats would be ineffective...

I just had to respond to this. "re-enforced the belief of the residents of the City that trusting in the words of the Bible and practicing what it preached" Really? The bible reads to treat visitors as sinners and use the the above actions to prevent disease? Too funny. I doubt it. I think even with the ridiculous beliefs of these times, it may have helped, however inadvertently they would eliminate fleas from the very uncomfortable and humiliated visitors. Rats are the reservoir and the fleas are a major transmitters I would think. I doubt many people, even in these early hard times, had rat infestation problems in their clothing.

[kburn]

Vice did a video on this a couple months ago.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Ofsy84dpGKU?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Jdietz]

Let me fix that for you.

[Thomas Hannah]

It was reported on here,That there was to a big press announcement,Thailand had found the cure for ebola.Of course,we all new ,it was typical thai bullshit.They have not invented anything.But as normal we hear nothing more.I will never understand thai mentality.The only way they can make money .is by being poor.Why can they not except who they are.And what they are.Now they think.they are on a leval par of intelligence.as the other advanced nations,If they in there ignorant attitude,think they can controll a deadly desease on there own,Look at aids.Aids was spread from bangkok ,all over the world.And there contol of aids,is still very poor to other nations.

[ozyjon]

The grim reaper is waiting for you, but not me, i died years ago.

[amja]

Not to worry!

The super thai doctors will for sure find a supercure for this as they did for ebola!

Amja

[pelagictraveler]

I always thought this would happen in bkk. some areas like bang kapi/happyland have some of the biggest rats because every night they just throw a half torn garbage bag full of food out on the sidewalk.. the huge rats come out and forage on this like its a meal.. If you walk down the sidewalk at night, its like dodging small cars. The restaurants in that area, have rats all in them.. Hope this makes them start to think about the sanitation in these areas. love bkk but this has been coming for awhile..

[jacko45k]

I have a pocket full of posies just in case.

[cheshiremusicman]

So do you get it form fleas ?

If you mean "Do you get it FROM fleas?" the answer is yes.

This news from Madagascar is about 6 weeks out of date.

[Cake Monster]

With the general cleanliness of the streets, and most peoples back yards, thousands of mangy dogs everywhere, and the extremely poor food hygeine, Authorities have every reason to be worried about some kind of infectious desease entering the country.

Any kind of virilant desease under these conditions would be a catastrophe of mega proportions.

[malt25]

 

It was reported on here,That there was to a big press announcement,Thailand had found the cure for ebola.Of course,we all new ,it was typical thai bullshit.They have not invented anything.But as normal we hear nothing more.I will never understand thai mentality.The only way they can make money .is by being poor.Why can they not except who they are.And what they are.Now they think.they are on a leval par of intelligence.as the other advanced nations,If they in there ignorant attitude,think they can controll a deadly desease on there own,Look at aids.Aids was spread from bangkok ,all over the world.And there contol of aids,is still very poor to other nations.

 

Thomas, me ol mate. The forum has spell check, easy to use, & makes what you write so much easier to read.

I think this is what you meant to write.

It was reported on here, that there was a big press announcement, Thailand had found the cure for Ebola. Of course, we all knew it was typical Thai bullshit. They have not invented anything. But as normal we hear nothing more. I will never understand Thai mentality. The only way they can make money is by being poor. Why can they not except who they are and what they are. Now they think they are on a level par of intelligence as the other advanced nations. If they in their ignorant attitude, think they can control a deadly disease on their own, look at aids. Aids was spread from Bangkok ,all over the world. And their control of aids, is still very poor compared to other nations.

Oh, & unless I'm mistaken, Aids was spread from Africa, not BKK.

Cheers..... Mal.

ps. Most of what you post is absolute nonsense. Just my opinion.

[Strangebrew]

Guess haven't seen Sukhumvits creeping crud the guy with matted hair black teeth and dirt from 1985 caked on him you smell this guy 6 soi's away buzzards won't get near him.

[cloghead]

Partington is correct the rats (and mice) carry it (and die from it eventually) and the fleas spread it to humans. Plague is similar to Ebola because it is (as shown in the photos) a haemorrhagic fever - you eventually die with blood trickling out of all your orifices (not a pretty sight I'm sure). During the Black Death - when folks didn't have a clue about the disease some Cities were free of the disease and applied the tennets of the Bible to anyone coming from a City or area afflicted by the Plague (obviously being punished by God because they were all sinners). So if you wanted to enter the City you had to accept 3 things 1) destroy your all your possessions (often by burning them) 2) Chuck your clothes on the fire and put on a simple garment provided by the community you were entering - made of sack cloth (the itching and scratching of the rough fabric against your skin was meant to be part of the penance for your sins and 3) last of all put ash on your head. Part of the sack cloth and ash treatment for sinners. But in the process of burning your traveling trunk and baskets it ensured that no infected rodent entered - the fleas living in your doublet (a kinky garment with a flat that dropped to allow easy access to your genitals) also got toasted in the fire and the ash generally killed any fleas already resident in your hair. You entered the pious and much loved by God City with a garment provided by them which even if it did have fleas and lice were not infected.

Well all that ensured the City didn't get the plague and re-enforced the belief of the residents of the City that trusting in the words of the Bible and practicing what it preached was definitely the way to go.

I don't care about the plague 'cause the docs at Sillylodge Hospital found the cure for it yesterday

But...you gotta tell me where to get one of them 'doublet' things. Sounds like a must-have fashion acessory for those moments when one is in a hurry

[masuk]

"The Ministry of Public Health has ordered officials in provinces with international ports to sterilize all ships anchoring in Thai ports and get rid of rats on board. Residents in maritime areas have also been urged to keep their houses clean and to stick to the correct methods of waste disposal."

Urging common Thai villagers to keep their house clean and stick to correct methods of waste disposal? Hilarious!!!

If that's the case, then storing rubbish in plastic bags is useless. Rats and dogs will be right into them.

I see plenty of rats on the road and footpaths on my early morning walk. They look well-fed.

[mataleo]

they pay for every killed rat in udon, i think 10 THB

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/11/black-death-europeans-pandemic_n_5289650.html

http://www.history.com/topics/black-death

[micmichd]

May I kindly suggest you read the article before getting into panic?

1 case in Madagascar, Thailand is only getting prepared which should be normal in times of International Tourism.

No scapegoating of street restaurants please. Nobody has to go there if paranoid.