China: A Case of Bubonic Plague Is Suspected in Inner Mongolia

There seems to be no end of surprises that 2020 has, and it does not cease to amaze us. We have a feeling that soon a sign saying, “First Level Completed” will appear in the sky. The bubonic plague first appeared in Mongolia, and now it was detected in northern China. Local authorities warn that the disease is transmitted from person to person.

In the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in northern China, city district authorities announced an increased epidemiological danger and a risk of human plague epidemic due to a patient with symptoms of bubonic plague, who sought help from a local hospital.

Local government warns the population that the disease is transmitted from person to person and urges (at least this time) not to eat animal carriers of this scourge – rodents, such as Mongolian marmots.

In the Bayan-Nur district, the third-level (out of four possible) warning for the prevention and control of the plague was issued. This is how the epidemiological safety of citizens is coordinated at the local authorities’ level. The central government becomes involved only at the first, highest level.

Initially, the emergence of bubonic plague was reported in the west of Mongolia. It was there that two cases of the disease were registered. The authorities quickly realized the importance of the situation and imposed quarantine. Vehicles are prohibited from entering or exiting the region.

Bubonic plague is characterized by painful swollen lymph nodes with the formation of "buboes," most often inguinal, less often axillary. It is also manifested by fever and severe intoxication. Since the advent of antibiotics, almost all patients with plague recover if treated within the first 24 hours of the first symptoms.