Chinese Town Seals off After Pneumonic Plague Outbreak

Frightened residents of a Chinese town sealed off after an outbreak of pneumonic plague have begun to flee under cover of darkness, sneaking around checkpoints set up to stop the spread of one of the world’s deadliest diseases , Times Online reports.

Meanwhile, pneumonic plague occurs when the bacteria infects the lungs, or after complications from bubonic plague go untreated , Chicago Tribune reports.

The 64-year-old man was a neighbour of the first two people to die from the plague in Ziketan in Qinghai Province.

Police have set up checkpoints around Ziketan, as medics are disinfecting the area and killing rats and insects , BBC News reports.