According to a report in the Siberian Times on Friday, "the Mongolian authorities have confirmed the deaths of a husband and wife in the country's western Ulgii district," a spokesperson for the district's emergency management said that "preliminary test results show that bubonic plague likely caused the deaths of the two people."
Pictures published by the newspaper showed emergency responders in hazmat clothing checking a tourist plane that had flown into the country's capital from the affected area. The newspaper also reported that "an ‘indefinite quarantine’ period has been declared to prevent the plague from spreading." It was unclear which people or locations would be impacted by those quarantine restrictions.
There were almost 160 people on the tourist flight out of the affected area, those who originated in the immediate vicinity of the infection were taken to hospital, while the rest were examined near the airport under supervision. "A team from the National Centre for Communicable Diseases and Specialised Border Inspection carried out the onboard checks."
Other reports claimed that the border between Mongolia and Russia was closed quickly and unexpectedly, hitting Russian tourists from Siberia and the Urals. The Moscow Times reported that the Mongolian "authorities placed its border with Russia under 'indefinite quarantine', leaving Russian tourists stranded... at least nine tourists sought help from the Russian consulate, while a border officer in Russia’s frontier republic of Altai said the border closures were due to the extended May holidays." The border could be shut until Sunday 5 May.
The couple, a 38-year-old man and his 37-year-old wife, reportedly fell ill after eating contaminated marmot. The consumption of Marmots, a particularly large variety of squirrel, is prohibited in Mongolia and clearly for good reason. According to the Siberian Times, the man died on 27 April and his wife three days later. They leave four children.
The bubonic plague is caused by Yersinia pestis, a bacterium found in (generally small) mammals - like rats, judging the history books. Europe's Black Death killed more than 30% of the continent's population in the 14th century.
The plague, which can now be treated, can kill inside a day albeit it usually takes longer. The disease is treatable with antibiotics but hundreds have died around the world in recent years. Prevention relies on not touching (or obviously eating) dead animals in those areas where the plague is present. Without treatment, the plague kills up to 90% of those infected within ten days. With treatment, the percentage of fatalities reduces to around 10%. The WHO reports that of the 3,248 cases recorded between 2010 to 2015, there were 584 deaths.
In 2014, 30,000 people were confined to their neighborhoods or quarantined when a man died from the bubonic plague in the Chinese city of Yumen, in a particularly extreme response. Again, contact with a contaminated marmot was blamed for the infection. According to the Guardian, the Chinese authorities "consider plague to be one of two Class 1 infectious diseases, along with cholera. When a person falls ill under their jurisdiction, they are entitled to label certain zones 'infection areas' and seal them off."
In the U.S., the response is somewhat more measured. Last year, a child in Idaho was treated for the disease. A health department spokesperson said at the time that "it is not known whether the child was exposed to plague in Idaho or during a recent trip to Oregon. The plague has historically been found in wildlife in both states. Since 1990, eight human cases were confirmed in Oregon and two were confirmed in Idaho."
No further deaths or infections have been reported at the time of writing in Mongolia, but given the nature of the plague that could change. In the meantime, wherever you are, marmots are clearly best avoided.
