risk areas
In 17 aimags (regions) of Mongolia, 137 natural foci of plague were identified, including such epicenters located on the border of Russia and China. This was announced by the representative of the Mongolia National Research Center for Zoonotic Infections at the 25th international conference “Zoonotic infection problems”. Wrote agency TASS.
“According to the latest research, 137 natural plague foci were detected in 17 aimags in the country. According to data from the research center, in the high-risk zone are the western regions on the border of the Russian Federation and China, where cases of plague are recorded every year.
They stated that in the Khovd region, which is on the border with China, 32 people have been infected with the plague in the last 30 years, and 13 of them have died. Its incidence has increased in the last 10 years. Plague deaths were recorded in 2020 and 2022. Also at the conference, a rare case in China, in which a person caught the plague from sheep, was discussed with the participation of WHO Mongolian Resident Representative Socorro Escalante.
security in Russia
The outbreak occurred in the northwestern Uvs aimag on the border with the Republic of Tuva, close to the Russian border. The neighboring Mongolian region was last examined for plague in 2022. Later, epidemiologists found that the activity of the natural focus of the disease increased compared to previous years.
In April 2023, Lyudmila Narusova, senator of the Republic of Tuva at the Federation Council, announced the invasion of plague-infected marmots from Mongolia. She did not then undertake to argue whether this was a natural phenomenon or a “special weapon”. Irina Akimova, deputy director of the Tuva Anti-Plague Station, spoke about the readiness of the republic to “plague” ground squirrels and Siberian marmots to emerge from hibernation. She noted that cases of bubonic plague infection are recorded annually in Mongolia, but no such cases in Tuva.
in Rospotrebnadzor assured Russians: There is nothing to worry about due to a plague epidemic in a neighboring state. Service professionals regularly vaccinate citizens living in the vicinity of potential outbreaks and hold drills to increase the vigilance of healthcare workers in detecting cases of human infection with plague. As noted by the supervisory authority, a case of infection was last recorded in 2017 – after which a Russian fell ill. No information was given about the fate of this person, there is no information in open sources.
infected fleas
During the conference, Mongolian Health Minister Sodnomyn Chinzorig attributed the high risk of outbreaks of zoonotic infections to a large number of animals in a country with advanced cattle breeding: the number of pets alone is 20 times higher than in the world. Mongolia is also rich in wild animals and birds in terms of the number of people. “Therefore, the risk of an outbreak of zoonotic infection is high,” Sodnomyn said. Said.
Plague is an acute infectious disease. The active ingredient is Yersinia pestis bacteria. The main forms are bubonic and pulmonary. The carriers of the infection are fleas that live in the fur of rodents. The disease is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected fleas, as well as by eating the meat of infected animals. The main symptom is inflammation of the lymph nodes, so severe that a bean-like swelling appears on the skin.
For Mongolia, outbreaks of this infection are characteristic due to geographical features – the country has a steppe zone. This is the habitat of tarbagans – marmots. Basically, these rodents are found in the Mongolian steppes in northeast China, as well as in Transbaikalia and Tuva. Marmots are the main carriers of the plague pathogen. Despite this, they are often hunted. Plague can also affect wolves, foxes, cats, badgers, but more often rodents and lagomorphs. Natural plague foci can be found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica.
Source: Gazeta

Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.