Chinese city issues epidemic warnings for the PLAGUE after herdsman is infected with the BLACK DEATH
- A herdsman from northern China has been diagnosed with bubonic plague
- Inner Mongolia officials issued a third-level warning for plague prevention
- Bubonic plague is known as the ‘Black Death’ that killed millions in 14th century
- Fears of a new wave of virus outbreak after coronavirus are fuelled in the country
Authorities in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia have issued an epidemic warning after a local resident contracted bubonic plague.
Bubonic plague, known as the ‘Black Death’ in the Middle Ages, is one of the most devastating diseases in history, having killed around 100million people in the 14th century.
The confirmed plague case in China has sparked fears of a new wave of virus outbreak erupting the country after it had just battled the coronavirus.
Authorities in Bayan Nur in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia has issued a warning on Sunday. The file picture taken on December 1, 2018 shows people taking part in a race during an international camel cultural festival held in Wulatehou Banner, Bayan Nur
The file picture taken on December 1, 2018 shows a family pulling camels to take part in a beauty contest during an international camel cultural festival held in Bayan Nur
A local hospital in the city of Bayan Nur alerted the municipal authorities of a suspected plague patient on Saturday, according to the local health commission.
The government immediately issued a citywide level three warning for epidemic control, the second lowest in a four-level system.
Level three warning is announced in China when a city has detected between one to 20 plague infections.
The patient, who remains unidentified, was later confirmed as a bubonic plague infection, according to the authorities on Sunday.
The official alert forbids the hunting and eating of animals that could carry plague and asks the public to report any suspected cases of plague or fever with no clear causes, and to report any sick or dead marmots.
The warning will stay in place until the end of the year, said the officials.
Sunday’s warning follows four reported cases of plague in people from Inner Mongolia last November, including two of pneumonic plague, a deadlier variant of plague.
Fears of a new wave of virus crisis after the coronavirus are fuelled in the country following the new plague case.
China has appeared to have largely controlled the COVID-19 outbreak but the capital city has been battling a local infection cluster linked to a wet market since mid-June.
Health officials in the city of Bayan Nur issued the third-level alert yesterday, the second lowest in a four-level system. The picture shows the geographical location of the city
The plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is usually found in small mammals and their fleas.
The bubonic plague, known as the ‘Black Death’ in the Middle Ages, is a highly infectious and often fatal disease that is spread mostly by rodents.
The bacterial infection can kill adults within 24 hours if not treated in time.
Plague cases are not uncommon in China, but outbreaks have become increasingly rare. From 2009 to 2018, China reported 26 cases and 11 deaths.
Plague cases are not uncommon in China, but outbreaks have become increasingly rare. From 2009 to 2018, China reported 26 cases and 11 deaths. Pictured shows a Mongolian marmot
The news comes after Mongolia, China’s neighbouring country, quarantined a region next to the Chinese border after a local cluster of the bubonic plague.
Two suspected cases of the plague – which is linked to the consumption of marmot meat – have been identified, health experts announced on Wednesday.
Local reports suggested that the victims were a 27-year-old male and a young woman, although her age is not known.
The provincial capital in western Mongolia is now in quarantine.
BUBONIC PLAGUE: WIPED OUT A THIRD OF EUROPE IN THE 14TH CENTURY
Bubonic plague is one of the most devastating diseases in history, having killed around 100million people during the ‘Black Death’ in the 14th century.
Drawings and paintings from the outbreak, which wiped out about a third of the European population, depict town criers saying ‘bring out your dead’ while dragging trailers piled with infected corpses.
It is caused by a bacterium known as Yersinia pestis, which uses the flea as a host and is usually transmitted to humans via rats.
Drawings and paintings from the outbreak, which wiped out about a third of the European population, depict town criers saying ‘bring out your dead’ while dragging trailers piled with infected corpses
The disease causes grotesque symptoms such as gangrene and the appearance of large swellings on the groin, armpits or neck, known as ‘buboes’.
It kills up to two thirds of sufferers within just four days if it is not treated, although if antibiotics are administered within 24 hours of infection patients are highly likely to survive.
After the Black Death arrived in 1347 plague became a common phenomenon in Europe, with outbreaks recurring regularly until the 18th century.
Bubonic plague has almost completely vanished from the rich world, with 90 per cent of all cases now found in Africa.
However, there have been a few non-fatal cases in the U.S. in recent years, while in August 2013 a 15-year-old boy died in Kyrgyzstan after eating a groundhog infected with the disease.
Three months later, an outbreak in a Madagascan killed at least 20 people in a week.
A year before 60 people died as a result of the infection, more than in any other country in the world.
Outbreaks in China have been rare in recent years, and most have happened in remote rural areas of the west.
China’s state broadcaster said there were 12 diagnosed cases and three deaths in the province of Qinghai in 2009, and one in Sichuan in 2012.
In the United States between five and 15 people die every year as a result, mostly in western states.
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