China invites tourists to visit its plague-hit region 'without worries' because strict disease-control measures 'are in place'
- China ensured people it'd be safe to visit the grassland in Inner Mongolia
- A herdsman in the region was diagnosed with bubonic plague on Sunday
- Officials assured they had imposed strict measures to prevent an outbreak
- The WHO yesterday praised Beijing for managing the plague situation 'well'
- Bubonic plague, or the 'Black Death', killed millions in Europe the 14th century
China has ensured the public that it would be safe to visit a region where a case of bubonic plague was recently recorded.
The government of Inner Mongolia encouraged tourists to come for sightseeing 'without worries' because officials had imposed strict disease-control measures.
A local leader assured that the disease, known as the 'Black Death' in the Middle Ages, was 'preventable, controllable and curable'.
The government of Inner Mongolia, where a case of bubonic plague was recorded on Sunday, encouraged tourists to come and visit. The region's main attraction is its grassland (file photo)
Health officials in the city of Bayan Nur issued the third-level alert on Sunday, the second lowest in a four-level system. The picture shows the geographical location of the city
'The epidemic control and prevention measures in Inner Mongolia are in place. Please rest assured that it is safe to travel to the Inner Mongolian grassland,' Wei Zhiguo, Deputy Director of the region's cultural and tourism office, said at a press conference yesterday.
'As long as scientific control and prevention [measures are carried out, people] can come to our grassland to travel with a peace of mind,' echoed Fu Ruifeng, Deputy Director of the Inner Mongolian Health Commission.
The autonomous region in northern China reported on Sunday that a herdsman in Bayan Nur city had been confirmed to have bubonic plague.
Bubonic plague is one of the most devastating diseases in history, having killed around 100million people in the 14th century.
Local authorities have discovered three epidemic spots for the disease and quarantined 15 people who had come into close contact with the herdsman, according to the government.
The patient, who remains unidentified, was said to be in stable condition as of yesterday.
Officials said they had shut the top-level tourist attractions in the epidemic area.
They were also carrying out door-to-door checks, inspecting the people and vehicles leaving the area and disinfecting fields to prevent an outbreak.
The government said no tourist had contracted plague or COVID-19 after visiting the region.
The news comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was 'carefully' monitoring a case of bubonic plague in China after being notified by the authorities in Beijing.
A WHO official claimed on Tuesday that the situation was being 'well managed' by China and not considered to represent a high risk.
The government of Bayan Nur on Sunday issued an early epidemic warning after identifying the herdsman as a suspected patient. The city is also known as Bayannur.
The warning will stay in place until the end of the year, according to the officials.
The individual was confirmed to have the disease on the same day, sparking fears of a new disease outbreak amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Bayan Nur's Party secretary Chang Zhigang on Monday ordered the city's officials to ensure that all plague-prevention measures would be carried out thoroughly.
Officials at China's northern Inner Mongolia confirmed on Sunday that a herdsman had contracted bubonic plague, known as the 'Black Death' in the Middle Ages. The above picture shows people visiting a night market in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, on June 26
WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris (seen in a news programme in May) commented on the bubonic plague case: 'We are looking at the case numbers in China. It's being well managed'
According to an official notice, Mr Chang demanded officials quarantine the patient's close contacts and set up checkpoints outside their residential compounds.
The local leader also instructed relevant residential compounds to 'closely monitor' visitors to prevent the disease from erupting.
Two other cases were confirmed in Khovd province in neighbouring Mongolia last week involving brothers who had eaten marmot meat, China's state news agency Xinhua said.
'Bubonic plague has been with us and is always with us, for centuries,' WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters at a virtual briefing.
'We are looking at the case numbers in China. It's being well managed.
'At the moment, we are not considering it high-risk but we're watching it, monitoring it carefully.'
She said the WHO was working in partnership with the Chinese and Mongolian authorities.
Two other cases were confirmed in Khovd province in neighbouring Mongolia last week involving brothers who had eaten marmot meat, China's state media said (file photo)
The UN health agency said it was notified by China on July 6 of a case of bubonic plague in Inner Mongolia.
'Plague is rare, typically found in selected geographical areas across the globe where it is still endemic,' the agency said, adding that sporadic cases of plague have been reported in China over the last decade.
'Bubonic plague is the most common form and is transmitted between animals and humans through the bite of infected fleas and direct contact with carcases of infected small animals. It is not easily transmitted between people.'
Though the highly-contagious plague is rare in China and can be treated, at least five people have died from it since 2014, according to China's National Health Commission.
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