Russia’s Federal Agency for Tourism has issued a special warning to tourists traveling to Mongolia after two fatal cases of bubonic plague were confirmed in the country.
Two Russians have died of the highly contagious disease, and reportedly became infected after eating contaminated marmot organs. The married couple from Siberia are believed to have come into contact with at least 158 people before they died. These people have been quarantined.
The tourism agency said the deaths were recorded in the western Mongolian province of Bayan-Ulgii, according to Russian Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor).
The agency asked tourists to take this information into account when planning trips to the region.
Rospotrebnadzor has taken steps to prevent infection at the border areas, including quarantine control and more than 90 percent of the population has been vaccinated. The agency is also in communication with health institutes in Mongolia.