Suspected case of bubonic plague in Inner Mongolia

Bubonic plague: suspected case in Inner Mongolia

The Authorities of Bayan Nur has forbidden the hunting and eating of animals and requested to report fever with no clear causes.

Authorities in China went on alert after a hospital reported a case of suspected bubonic plague in Inner Mongolia. On Sunday, Bayannur city’s health committee imposed the third-level alert, it is the second lowest level in a four-tier system.

Suspected bubonic plague in Mongolia

The first case was registered as suspected bubonic plague on Saturday, at a hospital in Urad Middle Banner in Bayannur. For prevention, the Bayan Nur’s authorities banned the hunting and eating of animals that could carry plague.

The third-level alert orders restrictive measures, such as the ban of hunting or eating of animals.

According to local news, the patients are in quarantine and their conditions are stable. The research continues to establish the causes of the infection.

Last November, China registered four cases of plague in Inner Mongolia in addiction to those recents. This included two cases of pneumonic plague, a deadlier variant of plague. Also, authorities requested to report any suspected case of plague or fever and to signal any sick or dead marmots.

The plague around the world

China reported plague cases in the recent times, but outbreaks have become increasingly uncommon. From 2009 to 2018, there were 26 cases and 11 deaths in China. Last year, two people died in Mongolia from the plague, after eating the raw meat of a marmot. Other parts of the world already suffer from this disease. Madagascar registered 300 cases during an outbreak in 2017.

The bubonic plague was also known as “Black Death” in the Middle Ages. It is extremely infectious and often rodents are the main diffusors of this disease.

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