ULAN BATOR, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A district of Mongolia's western Khovd province has been quarantined due to bubonic plague, the provincial governor's office said Monday.
The decision was made after a case of bubonic plague was confirmed in the Must district of the province. The infected person ate marmot meat last week, the office said.
Although hunting marmots is illegal in Mongolia, many regard the rodent as a delicacy and ignore the law.
Seventeen of Mongolia's 21 provinces are at risk of bubonic plague, said the country's National Center for Zoonotic Diseases.
The bubonic plague is a bacterial disease that can be spread by fleas living on wild rodents like marmots. The disease can kill an adult in less than 24 hours if not treated in time, according to the World Health Organization. ■
