Published 16:23 IST, August 8th 2020
China seals off village in inner Mongolia after resident dies of Bubonic Plague
China has revealed that it has sealed off a village in Baotou city located in Inner Mongolia after a person there died of the Bubonic Plague.
Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, China has revealed that it has sealed off a village in Baotou city located in Inner Mongolia after a person there died of the deadly Bubonic plague. According to reports, this is the second reported case of the Bubonic plague from China in July.
Village sealed off, citizens advised to take precautions
The Baotou city administration recently updated its website and stated that the deceased lived in Suji Xincun village and the village has been sealed off and disinfectant procedures are being followed. The city administration further added that the individual died due to circulatory system failure but refrained from revealing how he got infected.
As per the World Health Organisation, the Bubonic plague is a bacterial infection which is caused by fleas that live on large wild rodents like marmots. If the disease is left untreated it can kill a full-grown adult in less than 24 hours. The disease is characterized by painful, swollen lymph nodes, and fever and coughing are also known symptoms of the Bubonic plague.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body if the patient is not treated with appropriate antibiotics. Fleas get infected by feeding on rodents infected with the bacterium Yersinia pestis and transmit the plague bacteria to humans and other mammals during a subsequent feeding.
“Untreated bubonic plague can also progress into an infection of the lungs, causing pneumonic plague. If plague patients are not given specific antibiotic therapy, all forms of plague can progress rapidly to death,” says CDC.
The cities administration has also issued warnings alerting its citizens of the possible risk of the plague spreading into Baotou city and advised citizens to take precautions and to avoid hunting, skinning or eating animals that could become a cause of infection. The death in the city has forced the administration to reportedly issue a Level 3 alert and the authorities have also closed down several tourist destinations.
(Representative Image)(Image Credit Pixabay)
Updated 16:22 IST, August 8th 2020