At least 61 people are dead and countless others likely infected after an outbreak of a rare form of plague in the northeast region of the Congo. The disease first broke out in a remote diamond mine but hundreds of people ran away to escape the area which may have led to the spread of the disease if they are all ready carriers.

There are approximately 7,000 miners working in the area near the town of Zobia. Almost of all of them have abandoned the mine and fled into the tropical rain forest in an attempt to escape the deadly contagion.

Antibiotics can treat the plague which is most spread by fleas. Eventually, an infection forms in the lungs of the patient and he or she slowly suffocates.

The current outbreak is a type of pneumonic plague which is much more easily transmitted from person to person than the more common bubonic variety.

The World Health Organization says that the incubation period for the disease is between two and six days. Victims develop a cough and a high fever and eventually have trouble breathing. They can die from the plague in as little as two days.

Health experts don't foresee a major spread of the disease because of the remote location of the outbreak. While the remoteness will prevent the disease from spreading, it also makes finding and treating those who already have it more difficult.