Bubonic Plague Deaths-Mongolia-Quarantine

DE FAAKTO OUTBREAK INTELLIGENCE

SITUATION-MONGOLIA BUBONIC PLAGUE

BACKGROUND-MONGOLIA IMPOSES QUARANTINE SUSPECTED DEATHS-BUBONIC PLAGUE

 

Xinhua News Asia & Pacific is Reporting,

Key Points

  • Mongolia imposes quarantine after deaths from suspected plague
  • A district of the western Mongolian province of Bayan-Ulgii has been quarantined after two people died of suspected bubonic plague, local media reported Wednesday
  • A couple died in suspicious circumstances in Ulgii district of the western province in late April, the province’s emergency management department as saying
  • Preliminary test results show that bubonic plague likely caused the deaths of the two people
  • The province’s office has declared an indefinite quarantine in Ulgii soum, further investigation of the case is still underway
  • The plague is a bacterial disease that is spread by fleas living on wild rodents such as marmots
  • The disease can kill an adult in fewer than 24 hours if not treated in time, according to the World Health Organization  (Xinhua News)

 

About Bubonic Plague

  • Plague is an infectious disease that affects animals and humans
  • It is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis
  • This bacterium is found in rodents and their fleas and occurs in many areas of the world, including the United States
  • Y. pestis is easily destroyed by sunlight and drying
  • When released into air, the bacterium will survive for up to one hour, although this could vary depending on conditions (CDC)
  • Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague
  • This occurs when an infected flea bites a person or when materials contaminated with Y. pestis enter through a break in a person’s skin
  • Patients develop swollen, tender lymph glands (called buboes) and fever, headache, chills, and weakness.
  • Bubonic plague does not spread from person to person (CDC)

 

Diagnosis

  • Diagnosis is made by taking samples from the patient, especially blood or part of a swollen lymph gland, and submitting them for laboratory testing
  • Once plague has been identified as a possible cause of the illness, appropriate treatment should begin immediately  (CDC)

 

Treatment

  • Plague is a very serious illness, but is treatable with commonly available antibiotics
  • The earlier a patient seeks medical care and receives treatment that is appropriate for plague, the better their chances are of a full recovery
  • People in close contact with very sick pneumonic plague patients may be evaluated and possibly placed under observation
  • Preventive antibiotic therapy may also be given, depending on the type and timing of personal contact (CDC)

 

Xinhua News Asia & Pacific  http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-05/01/c_138027120.htm

Center for Disease Control  https://www.cdc.gov/plague/diagnosis/index.html

Center for Disease Control https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/plague/factsheet.asp