By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

Mongolia’s National Center for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD) reported a suspected case of bubonic plague in western Mongolia’s Khovd province has been confirmed by lab test results Sunday.

The patient is a 25-year-old female who was found to have eaten marmot meat last week. While hunting marmots is illegal in Mongolia, many Mongolians regard the rodent as a delicacy and ignore the law.

According to the NCZD, As of September 2020, 21 suspected cases of marmot plague were registered in Mongolia, 5 cases were confirmed and 60% of them died.

Seventeen out of all the 21 Mongolian provinces are now at risk of the bubonic plague, the NCZD said, urging the public to avoid eating marmot meat.