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Health Authorities Issue Warning after Suspected Bubonic Plague Case in Inner Mongolia

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic that the world is currently facing, The Bayannur City Health Commission has issued a warning last Sunday, July 5, 2020, after a hospital in Inner Mongolia reported a suspected Bubonic Plague case.

Suspected Bubonic Plague Case in Inner Mongolia Region

According to the warning by the City Health Commission, the suspected case is a herdsman in Wengen Town, Wulate Zhongqi, Bayannur City.

The patient, now in a stable condition, is said to be isolated and admitted in a local hospital.

The said warning from the local health authorities contained a third-level alert, the second lowest in a four-level system, wherein people are advised to avoid the following activities:

  • Unauthorized hunting of epidemic animals
  • Non-stripping and eating of epidemic animals
  • Unauthorized carrying of epidemic animals and their products out of the epidemic area

In addition, the city government has also started to impose prevention and control measures.

What is Bubonic Plague

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Bubonic Plague, known as the “Black Death” in the Middle Ages, is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria called Yersinia pestis.

In 1300s, the Bubonic Plague or the Black Death caused a global epidemic, affecting Europe and Asia.

It was believed to start in China in 1334, reaching Europe via Sicilian ports in 1340s. And according to the National Geographic, it killed an estimated 25 million people which was almost a third of the continent’s population. 

Furthermore, WHO also said that this form of plague infects rodents and is transmitted by infected rodent fleas to other animals and humans.

The Bubonic Plague attacks a person’s lymphatic system, causing the affected lymph node to become inflamed, tense, and painful. These inflamed nodes that appear around the groin, armpit, or neck are called buboes.

At Advanced stages of infection, the inflamed lymph nodes can turn into open sores with pus. These skin sores become black, leading to its nickname “Black Death.”

Bubonic Plague Advancing to Pneumonic Plague

Despite rare cases of human to human transmission of the bubonic plague, it can advance and spread to the lungs causing a more severe form of plague – the pneumonic plague.

Said to be the most severe form of plague, WHO said that the incubation period for the pneumonic plague can be as short as 24 hours.

Furthermore, it also said that the disease can be transmitted by a person via droplets. And when not diagnosed and treated properly, pneumonic plague can be fatal.

However, with early diagnosis and treatment, the World Health Organization said that the use of antibiotics and supportive therapy are effective in curing plagues.

 

SOURCE: World Health Organization, Bayannaoer City Health Commission

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