Beijing residents fearful after outbreak of plague
Chinese authorities say they have it under control, but citizens fear a lack of transparency might hide a wider contagion
Authorities in Beijing have called for calm after it emerged that two people from Inner Mongolia had been diagnosed with pneumonic plague.
It is a severe bacterial lung infection, and a variant of the Black Death that ravaged Europe during the 14th Century.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control has told citizens to take precautions to protect themselves, while also reassuring them over microblogging social media platform Weibo that there was no need to panic, as the risk of contagion is “extremely low”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What happened?
The news was initially confirmed late on Tuesday, after the two infected people arrived at a hospital in Beijing’s Chaoyang District. The hospital is normally one of the busiest in the city, but was suddenly empty of patients on Tuesday afternoon, prompting rumours to spread and a frenzy of media interest. A nurse told China’s Global Times the closure was due to a “special situation”.
Chinese state media outlet China Daily repeated the assurances of the authorities that “relevant disease prevention and control measures have been taken”. But this failed to completely quell alarm.
What was the reaction?
Fanfan Wang, writing in The Wall Street Journal, reports that “much of the public concern was focused on what some online commenters feared was the late disclosure of the disease”.
A now-deleted WeChat post by a doctor at the hospital, Li Jifeng, claimed that the patients were actually first treated on 3 November - over a week before the public was informed of the presence of highly contagious pneumonic plague in the capital.
According to Li’s post, the first person to be infected was a middle-aged man from Inner Mongolia, who had travelled to Beijing on the advice of doctors at his local hospital. At that point he was undiagnosed, and had already suffered from fever and breathing difficulties for ten days before arriving in Beijing. The second patient was the man’s wife, who had been treating him. Their condition deteriorated in Beijing, and Dr Li claimed it took her and other doctors there another week to identify the pathogen.
Of particular concern to the public is how the couple travelled to the capital. If they used public transport, they could have spread pneumonic plague, which is particularly infectious, to many people.
“Chinese censors instructed online news aggregators in China to ‘block and control’ online discussion related to news about the plague,” reports The New York Times. “China has a history of covering up and being slow to announce infectious outbreaks, prompting many people to call for transparency this time.”
One user wrote on Weibo: “The plague is not the most terrifying part. What’s even scarier is the information not being made public.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues free–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Nevertheless, The World Health Organization (WHO) said it understood that potential contaminations were being investigated and managed. “The [Chinese] National Health Commission are implementing efforts to contain and treat the identified cases and increasing surveillance,” said Fabio Scano, of WHO China.
What is the plague?
Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, and can affect humans in three ways: a blood infection, known as septicemic plague, an infection of the lymph nodes, called bubonic plague, which brings about the Black Death’s infamous boils and gangrene, and a lung infection, known as pneumonic plague.
“The pneumonic form is invariably fatal unless treated early. It is especially contagious and can trigger severe epidemics through person-to-person contact via droplets in the air,” the WHO warns.
Is this the first outbreak?
While news of an outbreak of plague may seem anachronistic, it is not the first time in recent history that China has had to cope with such an event. As recently as May this year, a quarantine was imposed after a couple died of bubonic plague after eating the raw kidney of a marmot - a folk remedy thought to be good for health. This, too, occurred in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia.
In 2014, in the north-western city of Yumen, 30,000 residents were put on lockdown, and 151 were quarantined after a man died of bubonic plague. A total of six people have died in China from the plague since 2014, according to the country’s health commission, while the WHO says that “from 2010 to 2015, there were 3,248 cases reported worldwide, including 584 deaths”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
William Gritten is a London-born, New York-based strategist and writer focusing on politics and international affairs.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published