Authorities in China's northern Inner Mongolia region have stepped up precautions after a herdsman was confirmed at the weekend to have the bubonic plague.

The man was in stable condition at a hospital in Bayannur, the city health commission said in a statement.

The commission has forbidden the hunting and eating animals that could carry plague -- particularly marmots -- until the end of the year, and urged people to report any dead or diseased rodents.

The Yersinia pestis bacteria can be transmitted to humans from infected rats via fleas.

Though the highly-contagious plague is rare in China and can be treated, at least five people have died from it since 2014, according to China's National Health Commission.

Another suspected case involving a 15-year-old was reported on Monday in neighbouring Mongolia, China's state news agency Xinhua said.

The boy had a fever after eating a marmot hunted by a dog, Xinhua said.

Two other cases were confirmed in Mongolia's Khovd province last week involving brothers who had eaten marmot meat, the agency said added.

Some 146 people who came into contact with the pair have been quarantined.

Related Links
Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

New swine flu found in China has pandemic potential
Washington (AFP) June 30, 2020
Researchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic, according to a study published Monday in the US science journal PNAS. Named G4, it is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009. It possesses "all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to infect humans," say the authors, scientists at Chinese universities and China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2011 to 2018, researchers took 30,0 ... read more