RPT: IFRC Says 2 Cases Of Plague Confirmed In Inner Mongolia, Calls For Awareness

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2020) There have already been two confirmed cases of bubonic plague in the Inner Mongolia province of China, and even though the cases are most likely to be localized, increased awareness is needed, Gwen Pang, the head of East Asia at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Sputnik.

Last week, two cases of the disease were confirmed in Mongolia's Khovd province. On Sunday, Chinese media reported about a suspected bubonic plague case in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. On Tuesday, a herdsman in Bayannur city in Inner Mongolia was confirmed to have been infected. Global Times Chinese daily twitted on Monday about a possible second case in the province in a 15-year-old who came into contact with a marmot hunted by a dog, but there were no further reports whether the diagnosis had been confirmed.

"There has been one more confirmed case in Bayan Nur City, Inner Mongolia province of China. There have not been any further reports of cases in Mongolia, however It is a serious concern that there is one further person infected with bubonic plague in the Bayan Nur City, Inner Mongolia province of China," Pang said when asked if the IFRC is aware of any new confirmed cases.

Speaking about the situation in the country of Mongolia, Pang noted that both confirmed patients are receiving medical care and are in a stable condition.

"Mongolian Red Cross Society is closely monitoring this small outbreak and coordinating with authorities to assist communities affected. Our first priorities are to keep people safe, increase awareness of how bubonic plague spreads and to prevent further spread of the disease," Pang said.

The cases are managed locally by the authorities, while the Mongolian Red Cross is engaged in awareness raising activities and is cooperating with the authorities and the Mongolian National Center for Zoonotic Disease.

These isolated Bubonic plague cases do not pose any threat to the neighboring countries or Europe and can be quickly contained by antibiotic treatment and precautionary measures, Jakob Zinsstag, the deputy head of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, told Sputnik on Tuesday. The public health specialist explained that bacteria Yersinia pestis, the agent of the plague, can be carried by marmots, and if hunters kill these animals and fleece them or come into contact with raw meat, they expose themselves to Yersinia pestis, which can result in the clinical plague.

While hunting marmots is illegal in Mongolia, some people illegally hunt the animals to use body parts for traditional medicine.

In May 2019, two people in Mongolia died from the plague, which they contracted after eating the raw meat of a marmot.

"In Mongolia, recent experience shows that isolated cases are rapidly brought under control and there is no imminent threat of a wider outbreak at this stage. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely and provide support to communities as needed," Pang said.

Director of the First Asian Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Georgiy Zinoviev said earlier on Tuesday that Moscow does not see any serious threat from the possible spread of the bubonic plague from Mongolia and China, as the movement of people across the border has been almost completely stopped.