Bubonic Plague Case Identified in China
China confirmed a case of bubonic plague in Bayannur which is in the Inner Mongolia region. Watch our latest video for all the details.
After COVID-19, the world may now have to be worried about COVID-19. On 7th June, China confirmed a case of bubonic plague in Bayannur which is in the Inner Mongolia region. Bubonic Plague is not a new disease but it has no treatment. In the 14th century, it killed around 50 million people in Europe. The Bubonic Plague has caused the most dangerous pandemics in history. In China’s Inner Mongolia region a city is on high alert. The case was first discovered in the city of Bayannur. By 6th June the local authorities had issued a citywide Level 3 warning for plague prevention. There are 4 levels of warning. Level 3 is the second lowest. The warning will continue until the end of the year. The patient is isolated and treated in hospital and is stable.
It is a very infectious disease and is caused by bacteria and transmitted through flea bites and infected animals. Modern antibiotics can prevent complications and death if administered quickly enough. If not treated bubonic plague can become very dangerous and cause pneumonia quickly after bacteria spreads to the lungs. Bayannur health authorities are urging people to take extra precautions to minimize the risk of human-to-human transmission. Bayannur authorities have also warned the public to inform them of any dead or sick marmots. Marmots are large ground squirrels that are eaten in some parts of China and Mongolia. Marmots have historically caused plague outbreaks in the region.
It is believed that the marmot caused the 1911 Pneumonic Plague epidemic which killed about 63,000 people in northeast China. Marmots were hunted for its fur, which was popular among international traders. The diseased fur products were traded and transported around the country and because of this it infected thousands of people along the way. That epidemic (1911) was controlled within a year. But marmot-related plague infections have persisted decades later. Last week two cases of bubonic plague were confirmed in Mongolia in brothers who had both eaten marmot meat. Last May a couple in Mongolia died from bubonic plague after eating the raw kidney of a marmot. Eating raw kidney of marmot is thought to be a folk remedy for good health. WHO has said they are monitoring the situation in China. Currently everything is under control and is not a high risk.
