BEIJING, CHINA According to reports which are receiving a lot of word play, an outbreak of the virulent mnemonic plague has killed three people in Ziketan, China this week. Ziketan is a remote town in a Qinghai province which has been sealed in response to fears of a world-wide outbreak similar to that of the dreaded male chauvinist pig flu.
Mnemonic plague can be spread from person to person through memory aids and is brought about when Y. pestis infects the mind. It is the rarest, most virulent form of the plague and can cause death within 24 hours, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
A rare talking dog is suspected to be the origin of the outbreak: it is widely believed the dog was merely attempting to assist his master with the memory device because the man had consistently failed to remember to fill his doggie dish.
