Three cases of pestis are reported in Inner Mongol

[P] . (Wang Zhenya, Health Client Reporter of People's Daily) As of August 14, three cases of pestis had been found in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. People's Daily Health Client reporters combed the 2023 report on the epidemic situation of notifiable infectious diseases in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and found that this was the first report on pestis in Inner Mongolia since this year. The pestis occurred in Sunit Right Banner, Xilingol League. Sunit Right Banner is located in desert and semi desert grassland, with annual precipitation of 170~190 mm and evaporation of about 2700 mm. It is a border animal husbandry banner of ethnic minorities, and it is also one of the plague foci of Mongolian gerbil pestis. On August 7, Sunit Right Banner reported one confirmed case of pestis; On August 12, the flag reported two confirmed cases of pestis, namely, the husband and daughter who reported pestis cases on August 7, both of whom lived together in the same family. When the hotel is full, the pestis will not affect the tourist peak season The Mongolian gerbil (Gerbil unguiculatus) mainly feeds on annual herbs, does not hibernate, and has strong reproductive capacity. Its parasitic bald fleas are the main vector of pestis transmission. In summer, the number of gerbils and parasitic fleas outside the body will increase sharply. When the rat density reaches a certain level, pestis begins to spread. When the mouse density falls below a certain value, it enters an interval period. As the focus of pestis, according to the official website, the qualification rate of household education and awareness of rodent prevention among permanent farmers and herdsmen reached 98%, and pestis has not occurred for many years. According to the staff of Xilinhot Rat Prevention Office in Xilingol League, the beginning of autumn is the busy season for herdsmen to harvest in autumn, and rabbits, foxes, rodents, etc. appear more frequently in the wild, which has also become an important node for pestis prevention and control. This season is the peak season for tourism in the area. On August 13th, a reporter from the People's Daily Health Client searched multiple hotels in the area and found that hotel room reservations were tight, and many hotels were fully booked. Xiang Rong Business Hotel staff told reporters, "Rats are very common on the local grassland, and they will not be infected as long as they do not contact wild animals. At present, pestis has no impact on local tourism." Wild mice and rabbits are common, do not touch or hunt A number of local people told reporters, "pestis occurred in the pastoral area, and three members of the herdsman family were infected. Now the herdsmen don't touch the prairie mice casually, they seem to have eaten rabbits to get infected." In this regard, the health client reporter of People's Daily called the local health bureau, but the phone has not been connected. However, according to the staff of the Xilinhot City Rat Prevention Office in Xilingol League, although they do not know the specific situation, it is indeed the herdsmen who have come into contact with wild animals that have been infected. The rats, foxes and hares on the grassland are not sure whether there is pestis, but because they belong to the focus of the epidemic, pestis is easy to appear on wild animals. After entering these areas, people should not catch wild animals such as hares at will, and will not be infected without contacting the rats. Jiang Rongmeng, vice president of Beijing Ditan Hospital, told the health client reporter of People's Daily that pestis was originally a disease prevalent among animals. As long as there was an active focus, once people entered, they would cause glandular pestis by contacting infected animals, or by fleas biting infected animals and then biting people. On August 13th, the city of Xilinhot issued a reminder that it was the time for grazing and livestock slaughter, and there were more opportunities for wild animals and humans to encounter them in the wild. Please do not hunt, strip, or carry wild animals without permission. If rodents such as rats, rabbits, and foxes die from unknown causes, please contact the local CDC immediately.