Mongolian couple die of bubonic plague after eating raw marmot

A Mongolian couple died of the bubonic plague after consuming a raw marmot kidney, reported The Guardian. The ethnic Kazakh couple died earlier this week in Mongolia’s westernmost province of Bayan-Ulgii, which borders Russia and China.

A Mongolian couple died of the bubonic plague after consuming a raw marmot kidney, reported The Guardian. The ethnic Kazakh couple died earlier this week in Mongolia’s westernmost province of Bayan-Ulgii, which borders Russia and China.

The incident triggered six-days of quarantine and nine tourists from Russia, Germany and Switzerland were prevented from leaving. Every Year, at least one person dies of plague in Mongolia, according to the US National Center for Zoonotic Disease.

Authorities have warned people against eating raw marmot meat because it can carry Yersinia pestis, the plague germ.

Some people ignore the warnings as they believe that consuming the innards of the large rodent is good for their health. Its most common form is bubonic, which is spread by fleas and causes swelling of the lymph node. The more virulent form is pneumonic plague, which can be transmitted between humans through coughing.

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