On the evening of July 19, according to the official website of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Health Commission, the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University confirmed 1 case of plague (bubonic plague) on the same day.
According to the requirements of the regional plague control emergency plan, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region People’s Government has decided to start a four-level emergency response from 23:00 on the 19th, fully treat patients, and fully implement comprehensive prevention and control measures to ensure that the epidemic does not spread, diffusion.
What is the plague?
Plague was once known as the “Black Death” in the world. It is a severe infectious disease caused by the infection of Yersinia pestis, and it is also a Class A infectious disease among the legal infectious diseases in China. It ranks first among notifiable infectious diseases.
According to the clinical manifestations and disease characteristics, plague is divided into mild plague, bubonic plague, pneumonic plague, septicemic plague and other types. Different types have different incubation periods. For example, bubonic plague is 2-8 days, while pneumonic plague can be as short as a few hours to 2-3 days.
What are the clinical symptoms of plague?
Patients with plague usually show severe symptoms of systemic poisoning, with a sharp onset, chills and tremors, and a sudden increase in body temperature to 39-40℃. Severe headache, sometimes vomiting, dizziness, shortness of breath, and very quickly into a state of extreme weakness. Severely ill patients manifested as confusion, lethargy, mania, delirium, facial flushing or paleness, a sense of serious illness and fear, and hyperemia of the eyelid, conjunctiva and bulbar conjunctiva.
Plague is characterized by rapid onset, short course of disease, high mortality, strong infectivity, and rapid spread. Especially septicemic plague and pneumonic plague, if untreated, the fatality rate is 30% to 100%.
Clinical studies have shown that bubonic plague is the most common type of plague, accounting for more than 80% of plague cases, with a high cure rate.
What are the transmission routes of plague?
Transmitted by flea bites: Most of the first cases of plague in humans are caused by flea bites.
Transmitted by direct contact: Humans are infected by direct contact with infected animals by hunting, slaughtering, skinning and eating meat, and eating undercooked dead animals (such as marmots, rabbits, Tibetan sheep, etc.) Enteric plague can occur.
Transmitted by droplets: The respiratory secretions of patients with pneumonic plague or animals contain a large number of Yersinia pestis, which form bacterial particles and aerosols, causing the spread of pneumonic plague.
Plague can be effectively treated
Plague is an ancient bacterial infectious disease, which can be treated with a variety of effective antibiotics clinically. If the patient can see a doctor early and receive standardized and effective treatment, the cure rate is very high. Suspected contacts can also be prevented by taking preventive medication.
With the continuous advancement of science and technology, plague is no longer synonymous with death, it is completely preventable, controllable and curable, don’t panic!
How to prevent the plague in the daily life of the public?
Experts remind the general public: Strictly follow the requirements of the “Three Nos and Three Reports” for plague prevention and control, do a good job in personal protection, and improve self-protection awareness and ability.
1. “Three Nos”: Do not hunt the animals at the source of the epidemic without permission, do not strip or eat the animals at the source of the epidemic, and do not take the animals and their products out of the epidemic area without permission.
2. “Three Reports”: report the discovery of sick (dead) marmots and other animals, report the discovery of suspected plague patients, and report the discovery of patients with unexplained high fever and sudden death.
3. You should maintain good personal hygiene habits, try to avoid going to crowded places, and wear masks in time when you go to medical institutions or when you have fever, cough and other related symptoms.
4. If you suspect that you have been in contact with the case, you can take the initiative to report to the local disease control department and obtain professional guidance. If you have symptoms such as fever, cough, lymph node pain, hemoptysis or bleeding, you should seek medical attention in time.
5. Minimize contact with wild animals when traveling, do not play with marmots whose health status is unknown, prevent flea bites, and avoid flea bites by using repellents and reducing body exposure. Bites, do not hunt or eat wild animals without permission.
What should I do if I suspect the plague?
As soon as you suspect that you have the plague, whether you are sure or not, stay away from the crowd, preferably in a separate room. Immediately call the 120 emergency number and inform yourself that it may be plague, describe the condition, and wait for rescue.
If it is impossible to call for help in the wild, choose the nearest hospital (village doctors and township health centers are fine). All doctors will report the plague when they see it, and they will receive the best treatment in the country soon.
Don’t think about going to a big hospital by yourself in the wild or during play, it will not only infect others along the way, but also delay your treatment. In the city, please choose the nearest fever clinic for treatment, or call for an emergency vehicle.
What is the prevalence of plague in my country?
In history, the plague had three worldwide pandemics, once known as the “Black Death”, causing serious loss of human life and health.
From the end of the 19th century to the founding of New China, six pandemics occurred in my country, affecting more than 20 provinces (autonomous regions), and the plague epidemic was very serious. After the founding of New China, the Chinese government attached great importance to the prevention and control of plague, and the number of cases dropped significantly. By the 1980s, an average of about 20 cases were reported each year. In the 1990s, the plague epidemic in southern my country experienced a brief rise. The sporadic case reports are mainly concentrated in some provinces in northwestern my country. According to the national epidemic situation of statutory infectious diseases released by the National Health and Medical Commission, from 2015 to 2021, the total number of cases of plague in the country was 12, and the number of deaths was 9.
(Dazhong.com·Poster News Editor Yu Chunhong integrates Ningxia Health Commission, Xinhuanet, Jiemian News, Science and Technology Daily, etc.)