Bubonic plague 2020 China: Di Marmot - Rodent disease from east Asia, wetin to know about dis disaster type of sickness

Dem don report one suspected case of bubonic plague to Chinese authorities.

E no dey clear how di patient catch di infection, but di kontri dey on alert for more cases.

Plague na one of di deadliest diseases for human history - but it now we fit easily treat am wit antibiotics.

Wetin be bubonic plague?

Plague na infectious disease wey fit dey serious and na bacteria wey di name na Yersinia pestis wey dey live inside some animals - mainly marmot rodents - and dia fleas dey cause am.

Bubonic plague na di most common type of di disease wey pipo fit get.

Di name come from di symptoms e dey cause - painful, swollen lymph nodes or 'buboes' for di groin or armpit.

From 2010 to 2015, na 3,248 cases happun worldwide, including 584 deaths.

Historically, dem don also call am di Black Death, in reference to di green blackening and death of body parts, such as di fingers and toes, wey fit happen wit di illness.

Wetin e dey do?

Pesin go usually become sick wit bubonic plague between two and six days afta e dey infected.

Along with di tender, enlarged lymph nodes, wey fit dey as large as chicken egg, other symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and tiredness.

Plague fit also affect di lungs, come cause cough, chest pain and make am difficult to breathe.

Di bacteria fit also enter di bloodstream and cause a condition wey di name na septicaemia or sepsis, e fit lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death.

How can you catch it?

Pipo fit can catch am from:

Domestic cats and dogs fit become infected from flea bites or from eating infected rats and mice.

Di infection fit also enter di body through cut in di skin if di pesin come in close contact with infected animal blood.

Di current alert for China forbid di hunting and eating of animals wey fit carry plague.

Di body of pesin wey don die afta plague infect am fit infect pipo wey dey in close contact, such as those wey dey prepare di body for burial.

Treatment or cure dey for am?

Quick treatment with antibiotics dey vital. Di disease often dey dangerous if pesin no treat am.

Early diagnosis, using laboratory tests on blood and other body samples, fit save lives.

Dis fit turn to new outbreak or pandemic?

Plague still exist for many part of di world. In recent years dem don record outbreaks for di Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar.

Although plague don be di cause of widespread disease outbreaks in di olden days, any outbreaks today thankfully dey small.

Dr Matthew Dryden, wey be consultant microbiologist for di University of Southampton for UK, say: "E dey good say dem don pick dis one up and report am for early stage because fit dey isolated, dem fit treat am and prevent spread.

"Na bacterium dey cause Bubonic plague and so, unlike Covid-19, na antibiotics dem dey take treat am. So although dis fit appear alarming, being another major infectious disease emerging from di East, it appear to be one single suspected case which dem fit treat."