Couple Dies Of Plague After Eating Raw Meat Of Large Rodent Known As Marmot
A couple from Mongolia has died from the bubonic plague after eating raw meat from a large rodent known as the marmot, RadarOnline.com has learned.
An official from the World Health Organization in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia informed BBC that some citizens believe the meat of the alleged killer animal carries health benefits.
However, the couple – whose names have not been released – suffered symptoms of the plague after eating the animal’s raw meat and kidney, according to online reports.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains on its website that bubonic plague is a disease “that affects humans and other mammals” caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis.
Symptoms of bubonic plague include fever, headache, chills and weakness, as well as “painful lymph nodes,” the CDC site states.
The Washington Post reported that the husband was 38 years old and his wife was 37. The couple died of “multiple organ failure,” the outlet reported.
The couple reportedly left behind four children ranging in age from 9 months to 14 years old.
According to a World Health Organization official, over 100 people who had come into contact with the couple following their ingestion of the marmot were treated with antibiotics and placed on a quarantine.
The quarantine has since been lifted.