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| - Fact Check: It's too early to predict a bubonic plague epidemic
Even as the world battles the deadly Covid-19, reports of bubonic plague cases from Mongolia and China have netizens on the edge.
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India Today Fact Check
WHO has said bubonic plague is not high-risk and is "being well managed". According to CDC, bubonic plague usually occurs from the bite of an infected flea.
Even as the world battles the deadly Covid-19, reports of bubonic plague cases from Mongolia and China have netizens on the edge. A 15-year-old boy had recently died of bubonic plague in Mongolia.
Amid this, a viral post on Facebook claims that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the bubonic plague detected in China can trigger a severe epidemic.
It also claims that according to the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC), bubonic plague is airborne and can spread through cough droplets. The viral post has an image of a human figure with severe infections and claims that this is how an infected person looks like.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the claim to be misleading. WHO has recently said it is "carefully monitoring" a case of bubonic plague in China's northern Inner Mongolia region, but it is "not high risk" and is "being well managed".
According to CDC, bubonic plague usually occurs from the bite of an infected flea. The image in the viral post is a wax statue depicting a bubonic plague-infected person. With the help of reverse image search, we found it was taken from a website called "ELEANORCROOK".
The archived versions of the posts can be seen here, here and here. Multiple Facebook users have shared this post.
What is bubonic plague?
Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague and is transmitted between animals and humans by the bite of infected fleas. It is characterised by painful swollen lymph nodes or 'buboes'.
According to WHO , it was also known as "Black Death" during the 14th century, as it caused over 50 million deaths in Europe. Antibiotic treatment is effective against the plague bacteria, so early diagnosis and treatment can save lives.
What did WHO say?
The viral claim says "BREAKING: Bubonic plague is back? A highly contagious and fatal disease confirmed in China and can trigger severe epidemic according to WHO."
But according to news reports published on July 7 by BBC and other international media, WHO is "carefully monitoring" a case of bubonic plague in China's Inner Mongolia region, but it is "not high risk".
It was reported by "The New York Times" on July 6 that a herdsman in Inner Mongolia was confirmed to be infected with bubonic plague. As per BBC, the herdsman's condition is stable.
According to reports, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris had said, "Bubonic plague has been with us and is always with us, for centuries. We are looking at the case numbers in China. It's being well managed."
Nowhere does the WHO say that bubonic plague "can trigger severe epidemic".
How does it spread?
Another part of the viral claim says, "Bubonic plague is airborne and can be spread when an infected person coughs, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control."
But as per the CDC website, bubonic plague usually occurs from the bite of an infected flea.
However, the pneumonic plague, the most severe form of bubonic plague, may be developed from inhaling infectious droplets. The CDC says, "Pneumonic plague is the most serious form of the disease and is the only form of plague that can be spread from person to person (by infectious droplets)."
Hence, the viral claims about WHO saying bubonic plague can trigger severe epidemic and CDC saying it can spread through coughing are both misleading.
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