2 cases of plague in Inner Mongolia

[Randy W]

from people.com


2 Cases of Plague Found in China, Sparking Fears of an Outbreak

The pneumonic plague is “almost always fatal,” and spreads quickly, as it did with the Black Death outbreak in the 14th century

The Chinese CDC said in a statement that they moved the two patients into quarantine and medicated anyone they could have infected, while launching an investigation to find others who may have been exposed to the plague, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The pneumonic plague is the deadlier of the three types, which also include the bubonic and septicemic plagues. Bubonic is the most common, and there are typically around a dozen cases in the U.S. each year. But the pneumonic plague is “almost always fatal if not treated,” the U.S. CDC says, and occurs when the plague bacteria gets into the lungs. It is passed from person to person through the air, or from animals like rodents, and those infected experience high fever, trouble breathing and cough up bloody mucus.

Washington Post -
The deadliest form of plague has infected two people in China, and information is scarce

Edited November 21, 2019 by Randy W
fixed WaPo link (see edit history)

[Allon]

Randy,

When I click the second hypertext in your post, nothing happens. Bad link?

 

Anyway, I thought this was interesting:

 

More on plague in Mongolia:After eating raw rodent’s kidney for 'good health,' couple die of bubonic plague, spark quarantine

The couple ate the rodent's raw meat and kidney, which people in the area believe is good for health, a World Health Organization official told the BBC at the time.

A person is infected with bubonic or septicemic plague usually via infected flea bite or handling infected meat. Either form of plague can develop into pneumonic plague if they go untreated and spread to the lungs, the CDC says.

Fever, headache, weakness and rapidly developing pneumonia are all symptoms of pneumonic plague, the CDC says.

Plague is treated with modern antibiotics, but throughout history, pandemics have caused widespread death around the globe, including the Black Death – the pandemic that swept across Europe in the mid-1300s and killed millions. Infections in humans do still occur in parts of the western United States, too, though modern cases are not usually fatal, the CDC says.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/11/13/pneumonic-plague-tied-black-death-sickens-people-beijing-china/4176578002/

 

So, worry.

 

 

 

Edit: Allon's article is free (USAToday) - After eating raw rodent’s kidney for 'good health,' couple die of bubonic plague, spark quarantine

Edited November 22, 2019 by Randy W
added link (see edit history)

[Randy W]

. . . and another case - from Medical News Today

 

Bubonic plague: Third case reported in China

According to Chinese officials, doctors have recently diagnosed a third case of bubonic plague in a month. Although the plague is life threatening, it is treatable. The latest outbreak should not inspire panic.

 

 

 

The most recent case concerns a 55-year-old male who appears to have caught the plague from a wild rabbit that he had killed and eaten. This occurred in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

 

[Greg.D.]

The first article was about pneumonic plague, the recent one about bubonic plague. The Black Death was the bubonic manifestation ("buboes" on the skin). The plague causing bacterium has profliferated again recently on the outskirts of Denver in prairie dogs. It's not nothing to worry about; I definitely would avoid those areas if I had the chance. As long as you have carriers it will always be around.

 

I would be more worried about rabies (which is also always out there and can move in more urban wildlife).

[Randy W]

from another USAToday article

 

 

The two people, from Inner Mongolia, were treated for pneumonic plague in Beijing's Chaoyang district, local health officials said Tuesday, according to Caixin and state-media Xinhua.

The news outlets reported the patients received "proper treatment," and disease control measures and prevention methods have been taken.

According to Caixin, the patients were treated at Chaoyang Hospital, which has since replaced all chairs in its emergency room.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said the patients were quickly isolated and health officials investigated everyone who could have been exposed to them, The New York Times reported. Chinese health officials also called the risk for further infections "extremely low."