Temirbek Isakunov, 15, was visiting his relatives in southern Kyrgyzstan and caught bubonic plague after eating barbecued marmot. The country's health ministers are cautious but believe it was a localized incident and not evidence of a possible epidemic.
Isakunov contracted the disease in the Issyk Kul province, located in southern Kyrgyzstan. RIA Novosti reports health officials have already quarantined the 105 individuals Isakunov was in contact with prior to his death last Thursday. The teenager was a herder and after falling ill was sent to Karakol regional hospital where he was diagnosed with bubonic plague.
As an added measure, health officials are planning to exterminate the marmots in the area and are evaluating other potential carriers, reports Tengrinews. The 105 quarantined individuals have shown no signs or symptoms of the disease. RIA Novosti reports the teen contracted the disease after ingesting marmot while Tengrinews states the boy may have been bitten by a flea, citing statements made by Tolo Isakov, head of the sanitation department, at a briefing.
Dinara Saginbayeva, Kyrgyzstan's Health Minister, believes the plague is a local outbreak and the country should not be concerned of a possible epidemic. Saginbayeva said, “I can say in all certainty that there will be no plague epidemic. This is a localized outbreak,” reports RIA Novosti.
The bubonic plague, which caused the “Black Death,” ravaged Europe during the 14 Century. The pandemic spread across Europe through fleas and it is estimated between 75 to 200 million people died from the disease. Individuals can contract the disease by contact with an infected animal or consuming the undercooked meat of an infected animal, report Tengrinews.
Currently, thousands of people still contract the disease, but all outbreaks have been localized. Bubonic plague symptoms include fever, headache, swollen or painful lymph nodes, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Plague can be treated with antibiotics and symptoms of the disease can appear between 7 and 10 days after infection, reports the World Health Organization.
Sanitary stations have been set up at the border of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as a precautionary measure. The rodents in the area will be studied but Saginbayeva will not close the country's borders.
Teen Dies From Bubonic Plague After Eating Marmot In Kyrgyzstan, Epidemic Not Likely
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