What is Bubonic Plague or Black Death? China sounds alert as new disease reported in Bayan Nur

New Delhi, July 06: China has sounded an alert after a suspected case of the bubonic plague was reported in Bayan Nur, in the northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

A level III warning of plague prevention and control has been issued, the state-run People's Daily Online reported.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the disease is caused by the bacteria Yersinia Pestis, a zoonotic bacteria usually found in small mammals and their fleas, with the symptoms of the disease appearing after an incubation period of one to seven days. The disease usually spreads from bites of fleas that have fed upon infected creatures like mice, rats, rabbits and squirrels.

Patients develop sudden onset of fever, headache, chills, and weakness and one or more swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes (called buboes). This form is usually the result of an infected flea bite. The bacteria multiply in the lymph node closest to where the bacteria entered the human body.

Symptoms:

People may experience:
Pain areas: in the abdomen or muscles
Cough: can be with blood
Whole body: fever, chills, fatigue, or malaise
Gastrointestinal: diarrhoea, nausea, or vomiting
Also common: bleeding, delirium, headache, phlegm, shortness of breath, or swollen and tender lymph node