Bubonic plague case reported in Mongolia

ULAN BATOR: A suspected case of bubonic plague has been reported in western Mongolia, local media reported, citing the country’s National Centre for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD).

“A 27-year-old resident of Tsetseg soum in Khovd province was taken to a hospital on Sunday after eating marmot meat.

“Preliminary test results revealed on Monday that he was diagnosed with the bubonic plague,” the NCZD said in a statement yesterday.

The official result of the test was released yesterday evening.

The man was in critical condition, the NCZD added.

It also urged citizens not to eat marmot meat.

A couple died of bubonic plague in the western Mongolian province of Bayan-Ulgii in April 2019 after eating raw marmot meat.

The bubonic plague is a bacterial disease that is typically spread by fleas living on wild rodents such as marmots.

The disease can kill an adult in less than 24 hours if it is not treated in time, according to the World Health Organisation. — Xinhua