Chinese city issues health warning after bubonic plague patient dies
- Third-level alert will remain in place until the end of the year, health committee in Bayan Nur says after person dies of multiple organ failure
- Plague death is second reported in Inner Mongolia this month
Authorities in a city in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia issued a warning after a patient who had bubonic plague died of multiple organ failure, state media reported on Saturday.
Cases of plague are not uncommon in China, although outbreaks have become increasingly rare. Between 2009 and 2018, the country reported 26 cases and 11 deaths.
The patient was confirmed to have bubonic plague, People’s Daily reported, citing an announcement from the health committee in the city of Bayan Nur.
Bubonic plague, known as the “Black Death” in the Middle Ages, is a highly infectious and often fatal disease that is spread mostly by rodents.
The committee issued a third-level alert, the second lowest in a four-level system, effective from Friday to the end of the year to prevent the spread of the disease, People’s Daily reported.