Bubonic Plague: Fourth case recorded in China

It has been several centuries since the deadly bubonic plague that wreaked havoc in Europe. However, it seems that the highly contagious illness is making a return, with a fourth case recently reported in China.

Express reports that the latest case is coming from Mongolia, where the three previous cases came from. This time, it was a farmer from the Siziwang county, who was diagnosed and immediately treated in the local hospital. He is currently in a stable condition now, however, four people who came into contact with him are now placed under quarantine.

According to the health officials in China, it is indeed a case of the bubonic or “Black Plague” rather than the pneumonic plague. The bubonic plague includes swelling of the lymph nodes in the body. The pneumonic plague is the illness that affects the lungs and thus is airborne and transmitting the disease is easier. While this latest case is a confirmed bubonic plague case, two out of the three previous cases were that of the pneumonic plague.

Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported from any of the three cases.

University of East Anglia Professor Paul Hunter said that the two pneumonic plague cases are the bigger concern. Hunter explains that this is because, in the bubonic plague which was usually transmitted by rats and the fleas in the rats, the lymph nodes swell and then there is a discharge. Another reason why the pneumonic plague is the bigger concern is that if left untreated, it can be fatal.

“You can spread it from person to person as you’re coughing, the bacteria then drifts into the air and you inhale it,” Says Hunter.

The three previous cases in Inner Mongolia reportedly contracted the disease by consuming wild animals. Plague cases in China are generally not uncommon, and disease outbreaks are very rare as well. There were only 26 cases and 11 casualties in China due to diseases from 2009 to 2018.

The bubonic plague was also known as the “Black Plague” or the “Black Death” during the 14th century. The illness that swept through three continents at the time killed 50 million people and 25 percent of the European population.