China has declared a plague emergency after a three-year-old boy was struck down by the Black Death.
China declares plague emergency
A child from a remote village in Menghai county, Yunnan, in the south west of China is confirmed to be infected by Black Death, the killer disease is also known as Bubonic plague.
The boy’s case was mild and was treated immediately and is on medications, it is reported. Health authorities conducted a screening throughout the county after three rats were found dead “for unknown reasons” in a village.
The boy’s case was initially suspected, and then confirmed on Sunday. Bubonic plague is what killed tens of millions of people during the Middle Ages, wiping out about half of Europe’s population. It is spread by rats and other rodents rather than from person-to-person.
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China’s Yunnan province gets a “confirmed” case of Bubonic plague after inner Mongolia recorded two deaths due to the deadly disease. In South West China’s Yunnan province, the local Center for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed a previously suspected case of Bubonic plague in a 3-year-old child. No new cases have been reported.
Local disease control authorities initially concluded on September 21 that a rat plague occurred in Menghai county. The local authority has reminded residents to quickly report if they had any contact with the dead rats and seek medical advice if they show fever-like symptoms.
AIR correspondent reports, the case was discovered during a countywide screening for the disease, after three rats were found dead for unknown reasons in a village in Menghai county.
A level-IV emergency response has been launched to prevent the spread of the disease. In July, China confirmed a case of Bubonic plague in the northern province of inner Mongolia which led to two deaths in August and sparked public concerns.
Infected rats are a key source of the disease, which also transmits to humans typically through bites from infected fleas.
