China has issued a bug alert. What measures have been taken

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The bayannur city health committee issued a level three alert, the second lowest in a four-tier system, that prohibits the sale and consumption of animals that could transmit the disease.</p>

The public is also required to report any suspected cases of plague or fever without clear causes and to notify authorities if they discover sick or dead marmots.

Sunday’s warning comes after reports of four cases of plague in Inner Mongolia last November, including two of pneumonia, the severe form.

The bubonic plague, also known as the “Black Death” in the Middle Ages, is an extremely infectious and often fatal disease, being spread mainly by rodents.

Plague cases are not uncommon in China, but outbreaks have become increasingly rare. Between 2009 and 2018, China reported 26 cases and 11 deaths from the cause.