Dog Allegedly Being Pneumonia Outbreak Source

A dog is the home of a suspected pneumonia epidemic in northwest China, killing three people and leaving 10,000 people were quarantined, according to state media.

Ziketan, a remote town in the province of Qinghai, has been quarantined since Saturday in an effort to restrain the spread of a deadly disease that.

A patient in a critical condition and eight infected. Most of the victims were relatives of the victims was killed first, a 32-year-old shepherd, or the local doctors, Xinhua news agency said.

Initial tests showed that the dog belonged to the shepherd's death is probably the origin epidemic, Xinhua said Wednesday night, quoting Professor Wang Hu, Director of Disease Control Bureau of Qinghai.

Wang said, it is likely that the dog died after eating infected pigs had the disease. The shepherd was infected when she was bitten while burying a dead dog. He died three days later.

"The first victim to bury the dead dog without any protection. After he was infected, relatives and neighbors close contact with him without any protection so that they are infected, "said Wang was quoted by Xinhua.

World Health Organization (WHO) says, the bacterium that causes plague was endemic in some rodents in the area, such as guinea pigs.

Experts said China's Health Ministry told Xinhua, strict quarantine measures proved effective and the small possibility that outbreaks will be more spread out.

"No need to worry about infection if you travel to Qinghai, let alone panic," said Professor Liang Wannian, deputy director of the ministry's emergency field.

Remote areas and mountainous and sparsely populated that it also helps keep the epidemic.

Thursday officials said, no one escaped from the quarantine zone and no new cases were reported.

Ziketan citizens who contacted on Wednesday said, some people trying to escape from the quarantine zone covering an area 3500 square kilometers.