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It is plague but contained, says Minister
By P. Sunderarajan

NEW DELHI, FEB. 19. The Central Government today confirmed that the ``mystery disease'' which broke out in a village in Himachal Pradesh last week and claimed four lives was ``pneumonic plague.''

Addressing a specially-convened press conference, the Union Health Minister, C. P. Thakur, said, ``unfortunately, it has turned out to be an outbreak of plague.'' The epidemic, however, had been ``totally'' contained and there was no cause for concern.

The incubation period for the plague bacteria was a maximum of seven days. Today was the eleventh clear day since a case was reported last _ on February 8 _ it was the assessment of the public health experts of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases that the infection had been successfully confined to the area of its origin.

But, as a ``matter of abundant precaution,'' the public health administration of Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal, from where one case was reported, had been advised to continue to be vigilant, not only in areas neighbouring the place, but in the States as a whole, Dr. Thakur said.

The representative of the World Health Organisation in India, Kim Farley, also present at the briefing, commended the `rapid response' of the Central and the State health authorities in providing treatment, identifying the infection and containing it. ``The WHO had been closely monitoring the measures taken by the Centre and the States in dealing with the situation and was fully satisfied with the steps.''

On whether the WHO would issue a global warning to tourists and others visiting India, as was done in 1994, when the plague epidemic hit Surat, he said the agency would only formally take note of the incident. No alert would be sounded as the epidemic had been successfully contained.

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