After bubonic plague confirmed, Chinese officials urge precautions
- A hospital in Bayannur, Inner Mongolia, reported that a herdsman had the disease but was in stable condition
- Beijing Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says travellers to the autonomous region should avoid eating wild animals and camping in the grassland
Chinese public health officials urged travellers to the rural areas and grasslands in Inner Mongolia to step up personal protections after a city in the autonomous region reported a case of bubonic plague over the weekend.
People should not get close to or eat wild animals, nor camp in the grasslands overnight, said Pang Xinghuo, vice-director of the Beijing Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, told a news conference on Monday.
She also reminded doctors and nurses to familiarise themselves with the symptoms of the plague and to strengthen their patient inquiries to trace any travel history for “accurate and timely diagnosis and handling”.
A hospital in the city of Bayannur in Inner Mongolia on Saturday night reported a suspected case of bubonic plague, one of history’s deadliest diseases. The case was confirmed on Sunday; the city health commission said that a herdsman was identified as having the bubonic plague but was in stable condition and undergoing treatment in hospital.
The city issued a third-level alert, the second lowest in a four-level warning system, which will last to the end of this year.
