China’s Inner Mongolia region announced two new cases of bubonic plague on Saturday, following a previous infection detected on August 7. The recently infected individuals are the husband and daughter of the earlier case, Reuters reported citing the official government website.
All close contacts have been placed under quarantine, and no abnormal symptoms have been observed among them. Bubonic plague, historically known as the “Black Death," is a highly infectious and potentially fatal disease primarily transmitted by rodents.
While cases are still documented in China, they have become increasingly rare over time. Inner Mongolia and the northwestern Ningxia region have been the primary locations where such cases have been identified. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague, which can be fatal if not treated in time.
“Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague and is caused by the bite of an infected flea. Plague bacillus, Y. pestis, enters at the bite and travels through the lymphatic system to the nearest lymph node where it replicates itself. 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," according to WHO.
Human-to-human transmission of bubonic plague is rare. Bubonic plague can advance and spread to the lungs, which is the more severe type of plague called pneumonic plague.