Bubonic plague kills 14 in Uganda

Rats have swarmed into several villages as a result of the rainy season

KAMPALA, Uganda -- An outbreak of bubonic plague in Uganda has killed 14 people in the last three weeks, officials said.

A government health official said on Thursday that the disease is believed to have been caused by an influx of rats into several villages.

The rats entered four villages in the northwestern Nebbi district near the Congo border, said Dr. Dam Okware, who is coordinating the government's efforts to halt the spread of the fatal disease.

The rats normally live outside the villages but seek shelter during the annual rainy season, he told Reuters.

So far, 23 people have been infected with the disease, which affects the lymph nodes, and 14 have died. No new cases have been reported since October 3, Okware said.

The bacterial disease is transmitted from rodents to humans by fleas living on the infected animals.

Humans can also get it through direct contact with infected blood or tissues.

There are three different variations of plague, including bubonic, all of which are treatable with antibiotics if diagnosed in time.

Symptoms in people include sudden high fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and sometimes nausea or vomiting.

At least three major plague outbreaks have claimed 200 million lives in the past 1,500 years.

In 541 A.D., the first outbreak swept through the Roman Empire.

Europe's Black Death started in 1347, killing 25 million in Europe and 13 million in the Middle East and China within five years.

The third major outbreak started in China in 1894 and by 1900 it had spread worldwide, killing 12.5 million in India alone.

A large outbreak was contained in Los Angeles in 1924-25.