Two people in China were infected with pulmonary plague - a high-risk fulminant type

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

中国で２人が肺ペストに感染、危険性高い劇症型

2019.11.14 Thu posted at 10:04 JST

 中国で２人が病原菌によって引き起こされるペストに感染した/ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

（ＣＮＮ） 中国でこのほど２人が肺ペストと診断され、北京の病院で治療を受けている。当局が１２日に明らかにした。

この地域でペストの患者が確認されたのは、今年に入ってこれで２度目。５月にはモンゴル人の夫婦が現地で療法食とされるマーモットの腎臓を生で食べ、腺ペストのため死亡していた。

新華社通信によると、今回感染が確認されたのは内モンゴルから来た２人の患者で、北京の病院で肺ペストと診断された。現在は北京の朝陽区にある病院で治療を受けており、当局は感染予防のための対策を講じた。

ペストは病原菌によって引き起こされる感染症で、ノミや動物を通じて感染する。症状は３種類に分類され、腺ペストはリンパ節が腫れ、敗血症型ペストは血液に感染、肺ペストは肺に感染する。

世界保健機関（ＷＨＯ）によると、今回中国で患者が発生した肺ペストは特に危険性が高く激しい症状を伴い、治療しなければ確実に死に至る。

中世の欧州ではペストの流行で５０００万人が死亡した。その後抗生剤が開発され、早期に治療を受ければほとんどは回復が見込めるようになった。それでもペストが消えることはなく、ここ数年は再び台頭する傾向にある。

ＷＨＯによると、２０１０～１５年にかけて世界で報告された症例は３２４８例を超え、うち５８４人が死亡した。感染報告が多かった国の筆頭はコンゴ民主共和国（旧ザイール）、マダガスカル、ペルーの順だった。

米疾病対策センター（ＣＤＣ）米国でも年間数人から数十人の症例が報告されている。

Translation

 (CNN) In China, two people had recently been diagnosed with pulmonary plague and were being treated at a hospital in Beijing. The authorities revealed this on the 12th.

This was the second time that a plague patient was confirmed in this region this year. In May, a Mongolian couple died of gland plague after eating an uncooked marmot kidney which was a local therapeutic diet.

According to Xinhua News Agency, infection was confirmed in two patients from Inner Mongolia who were diagnosed with lung plague at a hospital in Beijing. They were currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Chaoyang, Beijing, and authorities had taken steps on infection prevention.

This plague was an infectious disease caused by pathogenic bacteria and was transmitted through fleas and animals. Symptoms were classified into three types: the gland plague swollen lymph nodes, the septic plague infected the blood, and the lung plague infected the lung.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the lung plague that occurred in China this time was particularly dangerous and had severe symptoms that would surely cause death if not treated.

In medieval Europe, 50 million people died in the plague epidemic. Later, antibiotics were developed, and could expect a recovery if treated early. The plague never disappeared, and it was emerging again in recent years.

According to the WHO, there were more than 3,248 reported cases globally between 2010 and 2015, of which 584 people died. The countries with the most reported infection were the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Madagascar and Peru in descending order.

US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported several to dozens of cases in the United States annually.

              So, if you are travelling in northern China, be careful of this infectious disease.