Local authorities in the city of Bayan Nur in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia issued a warning on Sunday after a hospital reported a case of suspected bubonic plague. It followed four reports of plague in people there last November, including two of pneumonic plague, a deadlier variant.
The internet sprung to life with dire predictions of a second pandemic and historical references to the Black Death, which is believed to have killed a third of Europeans between 1347 and 1351 – at least 25 million people.
The threat today is very different. Here’s what you need to know.
What is the bubonic plague?
Bubonic plague, also known Plague bacillus or Yersinia pestis, attacks the lymph nodes, leading to swelling, pain and pus formation.
Although related, it differs from septicaemic plague (which if it enters the bloodstream can cause meningitis and endotoxic shock) and pneumonic plague, which produces severe pneumonia.
Without prompt and effective treatment, 50 to 60 per cent of cases of bubonic plague are fatal, the World Health Organisation says. But the disease is entirely treatable – more on that below.
Didn’t it die out years ago?
Mostly, but cases do still occur. The US has averaged seven cases per year for the past few decades, says the US Centres for Disease Control, and Madagascar and other nations have experienced a low number of cases in recent years.
Cases have also occurred in Inner Mongolia before, so it seems the current coronavirus pandemic is stoking fear of other diseases.
“Because plague is a disease of wildlife, it is very difficult to eliminate it completely,” said Jimmy Whitworth, Professor of International Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
How can humans contract it?
The disease is usually spread via fleas living on rodents – the majority of US cases of human infection came from marmots and prairie dogs – but can also be contracted through contact with contaminated fluid or tissue of an animal that died from the disease.
Humans can spread the disease between one another by infectious droplets, but it requires the infected person to be in very close contact and have a case of plague pneumonia.
The CDC said this type of spread has not been documented in the US since 1924, but still occurs with some frequency in developing countries.
Is it preventable or treatable?
Yes to both. For those regularly exposed to the disease, there is a vaccine, although it is not widely available. It can be treated with simple antibiotics.
“It is good that this has been picked up and reported at an early stage because it can be isolated, treated and spread prevented,” said Dr Matthew Dryden, a consultant microbiologist at Hampshire Hospital NHS Trust in the UK.
“Bubonic plague is caused by a bacterium and so unlike Covid-19 is readily treated with antibiotics.”
Should we be worried about the case in Mongolia?
“Bubonic plague is a thoroughly unpleasant disease and this case will be of concern locally within Inner Mongolia,” said Dr Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health at the University of Southampton in the UK.
“However, it is not going to become a global threat like we have seen with Covid-19. Bubonic plague is transmitted via the bite of infected fleas, and human-to-human transmission is very rare.”
The WHO said the case is being managed well.
“We are monitoring the outbreaks in China, we are watching that closely and in partnership with the Chinese authorities and Mongolian authorities,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said at a UN press briefing in Geneva.
“At the moment we are not … considering it high-risk but we are watching it, monitoring it carefully,” she said.
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1971: The Year The Music Changed Everything
Director: Asif Kapadia
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Rajeh, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi (trainer)
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes – Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Get Back Goldie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
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7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
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8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Hot Rod Charlie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Withering, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
9.30pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Creative Flair, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Price: From Dh590,000
