After a Mongolian couple reportedly died in April last year from the bubonic plague, which they acquired from consuming raw marmot meat, a 15-year-old boy residing in the western province of Govi-Altai in Mongolia died of the plague on July 6 after ingesting a suspected infected marmot, as declared by the health ministry of the country.
The teenager acquired the plague after consuming a marmot, which he hunted in Govi-Altai province.
In a statement by Narangerel Dorj, ministry spokesperson, two other teenagers are presently being treated with antibiotics after eating the large ground squirrel, which is suspected as the source of the eminently infectious disease.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bubonic plague symptoms can include chills, sudden fever, nausea, and headache, noting that the disease can be treated if diagnosed and responded with proper medication during it earlier stage, New York Post reported.
A community quarantine has been imposed by the government in the Tugrug district of the province where the cases of the plague were identified.
Fifteen people who were traced to have contacted the teenager, who died from the plague, have been isolated and are currently receiving antibiotics.
The Mongolian government released a statement warning its people to avoid hunting and consuming marmots that in most cases are the source of the often-fatal plague and are considered in some regions as a dainty.
Last week, a Chinese hospital located in the northern region of Inner Mongolia divulged that one of their patients was suspected of suffering from the bubonic plague after a farmer was admitted. According to officials of China, the farmer is recovering from the disease and that his health is improving.
This past week, In Jefferson County, Colorado, local public health officials have detected and confirmed that a squirrel tested positive for the bubonic plague.
According to a report from Forbes, four plagues suspected cases were uncovered last November in Inner Mongolia.
The annual reported worldwide cases of the bubonic plague to the World Health Organization ranges between 1,000 to 2,000 cases. As stated by the Centers for Disease and Prevention, each year an average of seven human bubonic plague positive cases are being identified in the US. In most cases, infected flea bites cause humans to contract the plague, but it was noted that the risk of being infected by the plague is terribly low as long as proper measures are taken in advance to reduce the chances of being infected. Due to the efficacy of antibiotics, the overall mortality rate among those infected with the plague in the US has reduced to about 11%.
As reported by The Hill, the plague is usually found in marmots and a number of other wild animals that settle in parts of Mongolia, eastern Russia, and northwestern China. Recently, an official announcement has been released by the Mongolian government reprimanding the locals of Bayannur region of Inner Mongolia to refrain from hunting and consuming marmot and to report dead animals to the authorities. Reportedly, the warning will last by the end of 2020.
Related article: Another Pandemic Brewing? Bubonic Plague Cases Reported in China
