As if 2020 couldn’t get any scarier health-wise, the bubonic plague has returned.
A city in northern China on Sunday sounded an alert after a suspected case of bubonic plague was reported.
A third-level warning alert was issued on Sunday by the Bayannaoer health commission. A hospital in northern China’s Inner Mongolia reported one suspected case of bubonic plague on Saturday.
The patient is now under treatment at a hospital and is in a stable condition. The Bayannur health commission revealed this in a late Sunday night statement.
It also issued a level-three alert, warning of the risks of human-to-human infection. China is urging citizens to report dead animals, suspected plague cases and patients running a fever for unidentified reasons.
The health commission warned of the risks of human-to-human infection from the plague. People in the city are urged to take precautions.
The bubonic plague, which can be deadly but is treatable, is unlikely to cause a pandemic.
The Virus Effect
The Bubonic plague is also known as ‘Black Death’.
It killed more than 50 million people in a 14th century outbreak in Europe. Bubonic plague has killed about 12 million globally in the 19th century.
It is now the most common type of plague and can be treated with antibiotics.
Inner Mongolia reported four cases in November; while Madagascar sees some cases nearly every year between the months of September and April.
Mongolia also confirmed two cases of bubonic plague earlier this month triggering a quarantine. This was in teh province that borders China with Russia.
Although treatable, Chinese officials are wary of any infectious disease spreading after a hard-fought containment of the coronavirus outbreak.
