Marmots are endangered mammals that live in burrows in China, Mongolia, and Russia. These large rodents can carry plague (a.k.a “black death), the age-old infectious disease.

According to Wikipedia, “The plague in marmots is of the pneumonic form, spread by marmots coughing. The plague can jump from marmots to humans through the bite of the tarbagan flea, or through consumption of meat. In 2019, a Mongolian couple died of plague after eating raw marmot meat.”

The couple believed the marmot meat had health benefits.

Now, it’s being reported that a 15-year-old boy from Mongolia died of bubonic plague from eating an infected marmot.

At least two other teens who also ate the marmot were being medically treated.

Though the plague is rare and treatable if caught early, medical experts say it has actually stuck around the United States for centuries.

According to 9News, a squirrel in Colorado tested positive for bubonic plague in July 2020.

Source : https://www.littlethings.com/teen-dies-bubonic-plague/