A suspected case of bubonic plague in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia was reported over the weekend.
Local health officials announced Sunday that a suspected case was discovered in the Chinese city of Bayannur on Saturday, according to the state-run news agency Xinhua.
A third-level health warning was issued, the second-lowest in a four-level system, advising people not to hunt or eat potentially infected animals. The warning will last until the end of the year. The city also encourages citizens to report sick or dead animals.
The disease, caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria, is commonly spread by flea bites and transferred between rodents such as prairie dogs, mice, and chipmunks. Human-to-human transmission is rare but can occur through cough droplets when a person contracts plague pneumonia.
In the 14th century, the bubonic plague, which earned the name “The Black Death,” ravaged Europe, killing approximately 75 million people and affecting half of the continent’s population. The disease earned its name because of black spots that would form on the skin of those infected.
Before the invention of antibiotics, the death rate of the plague was approximately 66%. However, new drugs have reduced the death rate to 11%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The plague was introduced to the United States in the early 20th century and is estimated to have infected 1000 people between 1900 and 2012. In 2017 and 2018, six cases were reported in the U.S.
Symptoms of the plague include fever, headaches, chills, and swollen lymph nodes.
News of the suspected case of bubonic plague comes as the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, which began with an outbreak that has been traced back to Wuhan, China.
