PixabayA hunter who caught and ate a wild rabbit in China has since been diagnosed with bubonic plague, resulting in 28 people being put in quarantine.
The 55-year-old man, from Xilingol League province of Inner Mongolia, is currently being treated at a hospital in Huade county, according to the health commission.
The man, who has not been named, reportedly caught and ate the wild rabbit on November 5, and initially didn’t experience any symptoms. However, he fell ill with a fever on Saturday, November 16.
PixabayHaving gone to the hospital to seek help for his symptoms, the 55-year-old was diagnosed with the infectious disease, leading authorities to place 28 people he had been in close contact with into quarantine.
The news comes less than a week after two other people from the region were reported to have contracted the pneumonic form of the disease, the South China Morning Post reported. It is not thought the man’s diagnosis is connected to the diagnosis of the other two people, both of whom are currently being treated in Beijing.
The Beijing Health Commission said on Saturday that one of the patients was now in a stable condition, while the second was in a more serious state despite having shown earlier signs of recovery.
On Wednesday, China’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the risk of the disease spreading was ‘extremely low’ and that ‘citizens can carry on with their daily lives and visit medical institutions without worrying about the risk of infection’, according to the South China Morning Post.
The CDC added that Beijing residents shouldn’t worry about catching the disease through coming into contact with rats, since the outbreak had originated from outside the capital.
Plague, which comes in three strains – bubonic, pneumonic and septicaemic – is categorised as the most serious contagious disease in China due to its high infection and mortality rates.
While bubonic plague is the most common form of the disease, and can be spread as easily as via the bite of an infected flea, pneumonic plague is the most deadly strain of the disease. According to the World Health Organization, the latter originates in the lungs and is almost always fatal if left untreated.
PixabayAlthough the plague has largely been eradicated in China, occasional cases are still reported – especially among hunters who come into contact with infected fleas.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).