Ulaanbaatar, July 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) A suspected case of bubonic plague in Mongolia's western Khovd province has been confirmed after final bacteriological laboratory testing returned positive results, the National Centre for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD) said on Friday.
According to the NCZD, the patient contracted the disease after consuming marmot meat while visiting Ulaankhus soum in the neighbouring Bayan-Ulgii province.
The centre urged the public not to hunt or capture marmots, handle their meat or internal organs, or come into contact with dead or sick rodents, warning that such activities significantly increase the risk of infection.
Although hunting marmots is prohibited by law in Mongolia, the animals are still regarded as a delicacy by some people, and illegal hunting continues.
The risk of plague transmission typically increases during the summer months, when more people travel to rural areas, and some consume marmot meat. In previous years, Mongolia has reported several cases of bubonic plague during this period, including fatal infections.
The NCZD said that 17 of Mongolia's 21 provinces are currently classified as plague-risk areas.
In September last year, a total of three bubonic plague cases were confirmed, with two cases from Khuvsgul Province.
The cases were treated at the Khuvsgul provincial general hospital.
A total of 80 people who had contact with the patients were isolated and received treatment at local hospitals.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), bubonic plague is a bacterial disease transmitted by fleas that live on wild rodents, including marmots. If left untreated, the disease can become fatal within 24 hours.
Although plague has been responsible for widespread pandemics throughout history, including the so-called Black Death that caused over 50 million deaths in Europe during the fourteenth century, today it can be easily treated with antibiotics and the use of standard preventative measures, WHO noted in an overview of the disease.
According to it, plague is found on all continents except Oceania, but most human cases since the 1990s have occurred in Africa. Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Peru are the three most endemic countries.
–IANS
ksk/as
Source: IANS
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