Can plague be cured? An analysis of the risk of plague transmission from pet hamsters

Recently, 2 plague patients were confirmed in Beijing, China, and you may have some worries and doubts. Can plague be cured? Will keeping hamsters at home cause plague infection?

1. Can plague be cured?

Most plague patients can be cured. Under certain conditions, human plague caused by transmission to people through infected rats or infected fleas, if it cannot be diagnosed early and treated promptly, has a high mortality rate in the later stages when the condition is severe. The mortality rate of bubonic plague can reach 30%-70%, and the mortality rates of septicemic plague and pneumonic plague are even higher. If it can be diagnosed early and effective antibacterial drugs and other rescue measures are used promptly, the mortality rate can drop to about 5%.

2. Will keeping hamsters at home cause plague infection?

Keeping hamsters will not cause plague infection; plague requires infection with the pathogen. Wild hamsters may carry pathogenic genes, but domestic hamsters, whether in terms of diet, drinking water, or breeding offspring, are all managed under artificial intervention and do not carry the plague virus.

3. What are the transmission routes of plague?

1. Transmission by rat flea bites

Rat flea bites are the main transmission route, and they can transmit pathogens from animals to humans.

2. Respiratory tract infection

The respiratory secretions of patients contain large amounts of Yersinia pestis, which can form person-to-person transmission through respiratory droplets and can cause a pandemic of human plague.

3. Transmission through the skin

Infection can occur when the broken skin or mucous membranes of a healthy person come into contact with the pus and blood, sputum, or the skin, flesh, and blood of infected rodents.

4. How is plague prevented?

(1) Strictly control the source of infection

1. Promptly treat and isolate patients

When suspected or confirmed patients are found, the epidemic situation should be reported immediately by emergency telephone and online. In urban areas, it must not exceed 2 hours, and in rural areas, it must not exceed 6 hours. At the same time, patients should be strictly isolated, and visits and contact between patients should be prohibited. Patient excrement should be thoroughly disinfected, and deceased patients should be cremated or buried deeply. Strict isolation should be carried out for patients with pneumonic plague. Patients with each type of plague should be isolated separately. Patients with pneumonic plague should be in a separate room and must not share a room with other plague patients. For bubonic plague, isolation should continue until the swollen lymph nodes completely disappear, followed by observation for another 7 days. Patients with pneumonic plague should be isolated until sputum culture is negative 6 times. People in contact with plague should be quarantined for 9 days. For those who have received preventive vaccination, the quarantine period should be extended to 12 days.

2. Eliminate animal sources of infection

Conduct epidemic monitoring of plague among rats in natural foci, control plague among rats, and extensively carry out the patriotic health campaign to eliminate rats.

(2) Cut off the transmission routes

1. Eliminate fleas

Safe and effective insecticides should be sprayed on patients' bodies and clothing to kill fleas. Flea elimination must be thorough, and cats, dogs, livestock, and others should also be sprayed.

2. Strengthen transportation and border quarantine

Strict border health quarantine should be carried out for foreign ships, vehicles, aircraft, and other means of transport coming from epidemic areas, with deratization, flea elimination, and disinfection implemented, and passengers should be isolated and kept for inspection.

(3) Protect susceptible people

1. Protect contacts

During an epidemic outbreak, contact with rat fleas and rodents should be avoided. After contact with suspected or confirmed pneumonic plague patients, doxycycline should be used for prevention, and observation should be carried out for a period of time.

2. Preventive vaccination

When plague begins to spread among rats, preventive vaccination should be carried out for residents in and around the epidemic area and for staff entering the epidemic area. The commonly used vaccine is the EV avirulent strain dried live vaccine, inoculated by the skin scarification method, that is, 2 drops of bacterial solution, 3-4 cm apart. Immunity can be acquired after 2 weeks. The current vaccine still cannot produce long-lasting immune protection against bubonic plague and pneumonic plague. Therefore, it is generally inoculated once a year, and once again after 6 months if necessary.

3. Personal protection of medical staff

Medical staff entering the epidemic area must be vaccinated and can only enter the epidemic area after 2 weeks. When working, they need to wear protective clothing, masks, hats, gloves, protective glasses, rubber shoes, and so on.

4. When there is an epidemic, do not travel to the epidemic area, minimize activities in the epidemic area, and avoid contact with rodents. People who have been to an epidemic area should seek medical attention promptly if symptoms such as fever, chills, coughing up blood, and swollen and painful lymph nodes suddenly appear within 14 days, and truthfully inform them of their travel history to the epidemic area.

We can know that if plague is treated promptly, it can be cured, and hamsters kept at home that are purchased through proper channels will not be infected with plague.