ULAN BATOR, Mongolia: A suspected case of bubonic plague has been reported in western Mongolia, a Xinhua news report said, based on local media report on Tuesday that cited 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, adding that the official result of the test will be released on Tuesday evening.
The man is in critical condition, the NCZD added, urging 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 spread by fleas living on wild rodents such as marmots. The infectious disease can kill an adult in less than 24 hours if not treated in time, according to the World Health Organisation.
Some of the symptoms of bubonic plague are fever, headache, vomiting and swollen lymph nodes.
Onset of the disease is usually from one to seven days after exposure with flu-like symptoms developing.
Bubonic plague was the cause of the Black Death that swept across Asia, Europe and Africa in the 14th century killing some 50 million people.
