Daijiworld Media Network - Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar, Jul 25: Mongolian health authorities have confirmed a case of bubonic plague in the country's western Khovd province, prompting officials to issue fresh warnings against hunting and consuming marmots, a known source of the deadly bacterial disease.

The National Centre for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD) said the infection was confirmed after bacteriological laboratory tests returned positive results. According to the agency, the patient contracted the disease after eating marmot meat during a visit to Ulaankhus soum in neighbouring Bayan-Ulgii province.

Following the confirmation, the NCZD urged citizens to avoid hunting or capturing marmots, handling their meat or internal organs, and coming into contact with sick or dead rodents, stressing that such exposure significantly raises the risk of infection.

Although hunting marmots is banned under Mongolian law, illegal hunting continues because the animal is still considered a delicacy in some parts of the country.

Health officials noted that the danger of plague transmission generally rises during the summer months, when more people travel to rural regions and traditional consumption of marmot meat increases. Mongolia has recorded several cases of bubonic plague in previous summers, including infections that proved fatal.

The NCZD said 17 of Mongolia's 21 provinces are currently classified as plague-risk zones, underscoring the need for heightened public awareness and preventive measures.

The country has experienced similar outbreaks in recent years. In September last year, three confirmed cases of bubonic plague were reported, including two in Khuvsgul province. The infected patients were treated at the provincial general hospital, while around 80 close contacts were isolated and monitored as a precaution.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and is primarily transmitted through the bites of infected fleas that live on wild rodents such as marmots. If left untreated, the disease can become life-threatening within 24 hours.

Despite its association with devastating historical pandemics—including the Black Death, which claimed more than 50 million lives in 14th-century Europe—the disease is now curable with timely antibiotic treatment and appropriate medical care.

The WHO also notes that plague remains present on every continent except Oceania. Since the 1990s, however, the majority of human infections have been reported in Africa, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar and Peru among the countries where the disease remains most endemic.