Teenage boy died of bubonic plague in Kyrgyzstan

A teenage boy has died of bubonic plague in the Issyk-Kul region in northern Kyrgyzstan, the country's Health Ministry said on Monday. The 15-year-old Temir Isakunov fell ill on Aug. 17, when doctors at that time failed to make correct diagnosis, and they suspected he was infected with the plague only after his death. A panel of doctors confirmed that Isakunov died of bubonic plague after they made a second diagnosis on Sunday. The Health Ministry said the boy was infected with the plague after being bitten by fleas. Some 102 people were found to have been in contact with the boy over the last few days. All of them have been quarantined and are receiving preventive treatment, according to the ministry. Bubonic plague is primarily a disease spread to humans by insect bites. Its death rate is between 30 and 60 percent.