Bubonic Plague in China: Here’s all you need to know about the deadly disease

Team Udayavani, Jul 6, 2020, 2:09 PM IST

China has sounded an alert in a city in Northern China after a suspected case of the bubonic plague was reported on Sunday, July 5.

Bayannur, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, announced a level III warning of plague prevention and control

On July 1, two suspected cases of bubonic plague reported in Khovd province in western Mongolia have been confirmed by lab test results.

The confirmed cases are a 27-year-old resident and his 17-year-old brother who ate marmot meat and are now being treated at two separate hospitals.

Earlier, a couple died of bubonic plague in the western Mongolian province of Bayan-Ulgii after eating raw marmot meat.

Bubonic plague

Bubonic plague also known as the ‘black death’ is a bacterial disease that is spread by fleas living on wild rodents such as marmots (large and heavy rodents). It can kill an adult in less than 24 hours if not treated in time

The plague caused an epidemic in China in the 1330s, and again in the 1350s, causing tens of millions of deaths. It killed somewhere between 30% and 60% of Europe’s population between 1347 and 1351.

Officials  have asked people to immediately report any sick or dead Marmots found. Also, forbids eating or hunting them.

The disease is caused by a zoonotic bacteria usually found in small mammals and their fleas.

Symptoms

People infected with plague usually develop symptoms after an incubation period of one to seven days, such as sudden onset of fever, chills, head and body aches, and weakness, vomiting and nausea.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Bubonic plague is the most common form and is characterized by painful swollen lymph nodes. The lymph node then becomes inflamed, tense and painful, and is called a ‘bubo’. At advanced stages of the infection the inflamed lymph nodes can turn into open sores filled with pus.

Also, when it advances to the lungs, pneumonic plague becomes the most virulent form of plague. Septicaemic plague (in bloodstream) can cause tissue death and subsequent blackening of fingers, toes and nose.

Transmission

WHO says that human-to-human transmission of bubonic plague is rare. However, any person with pneumonic plague may transmit the disease via droplets to other humans.

The body of someone who has died after being infected with plague can infect people who are in close contact, such as those who are preparing the body for burial. The source of infection is the bacteria that are still present in body fluids.

Diagnosis and Treatment

It requires lab to confirm plague. The best practice according to WHO  is to identify Y. pestis from a sample of pus from a bubo, blood or sputum.

Early diagnosis and treatment is essential for survival and reduction of complications. Antibiotics and supportive therapy are effective against plague if patients are diagnosed in time.

Prevention

According to WHO, Preventive measures include informing people and advising them to take precautions against flea bites and not to handle animal carcasses. Also, taking standard precautions when handling potentially infected patients and collecting specimens.