Two Cases of the Plague Confirmed in Beijing

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Yes, it’s true. Authorities have confirmed two cases of the plague – an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis – in Chaoyang District. But don’t start freaking out yet – in both cases, the disease was contracted in Inner Mongolia and the patients were brought to Beijing for treatment. The patients have since been transferred from Chaoyang Hospital to another, unnamed hospital that specializes in infectious diseases for treatment.

The plague bacteria can become contagious after spreading to the lungs

Calm down, you probably aren’t going to catch the plague

Although the plague is not contagious from human to human in its early stages, Caixin Global reported this morning that the disease had progressed to the lungs in both cases, thereby becoming the pneumonic plague, which is highly contagious and has a high mortality rate.

While on average about 200 cases of the plague are reported every year, it is still best known for the mid-1300's outbreak known as The Black Death, which caused approximately 50 million fatalities. Scholars still dispute the exact nature and origin of that outbreak.

When questioned by a reporter from Economic Observer, a representative of Chaoyang Hospital said in their most reassuring voice, "There is no need to panic, everything is under control." He then declined to answer when asked if any patients were in danger and abruptly hung up the phone.

China takes cases like this very seriously. In 2014, an entire city in Gansu province was locked down after a death caused by the plague was reported, so you had better believe that the quarantine of these patients is currently the local government's utmost concern.

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Watch out, it’s still flu season

As we previously reported, flu season in Beijing generally lasts from October to March. However, we are now in the midst of the most contagious period, which lasts from November to February. Last winter, more 9,000 cases were reported in the city before January.

If you did not get your flu shot this year, be on the lookout for sick friends and associates and avoid getting too close, as the virus most often travels via droplets from an infected person's mouth when they cough, sneeze, or talk.

Fever is more common with the flu than with the common cold

Flu symptoms often resemble cold symptoms, but fever and headaches are more common with the flu, and symptoms like fatigue and chills can be more severe. The flu is also more long-lasting, so if your symptoms last more than a few days, it would be wise to go see a doctor.

Images: Anna Pellegrin Hartley, Carribean 360, ABCnews

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