(Adnkronos) – A suspected case of bubonic plague has been reported in Khovd province, western Mongolia, the country’s National Center for Zoonotic Diseases (Nczd) said today. According to the Nczd, the individual is suspected to have contracted the disease after consuming marmot meat during a visit to the Ulaankhus soum (an administrative subdivision) in the neighboring Bayan-Ulgii province.
A PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test is underway to confirm the diagnosis. Although marmot hunting is prohibited by law in Mongolia, the animal is still considered a delicacy by some people, and illegal hunting continues. The summer season poses a higher risk of infection in Mongolia, as more people travel to rural areas for recreation, and some consume marmot meat in the countryside.
In previous years, several cases of bubonic plague, some fatal, have been reported during this period. The Nczd reports that 17 of Mongolia’s 21 provinces are currently considered at risk for bubonic plague. Bubonic plague is a disease caused by a bacterium (Yersinia Pestis) transmitted by fleas living on wild rodents, including marmots. It can also be contracted by eating the animal’s meat, raw or undercooked, or by butchering it. If left untreated, the disease can be fatal within 24 hours.
