Um, WTF. . .

bubonic plague is back? — rachel syme (@rachsyme) May 3, 2019

Apparently so. This is the news out of Mongolia where a husband and wife from Russia died after contracting the deadly disease while on vacation (It’s not clear from the headline, but the now-dead tourists were not on this plane. This is a flight from the infected area getting checked):

Medics rush to quarantine plane passengers after couple die from bubonic plague https://t.co/KClLHuaMkp pic.twitter.com/KnMQunPqHS — Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) May 3, 2019

Apparently, they ate a marmot (a large squirrel) that was infected:

They ate contaminated marmot.

CDC says bubonic plague can be successfully treated with antibiotics. https://t.co/Qo1QCjD127 — Jessica Webster (@A2Jess) May 3, 2019

And now the border is closed:

Russian couple dies in bubonic plague scare that closes Mongolia border https://t.co/owZzNJKZs0 pic.twitter.com/EGY1F4J5HX — New York Post (@nypost) May 3, 2019

It is believed that the bubonic plague is what killed millions during the “Black Death”:

The border between Mongolia and Russia has been closed following a reported outbreak of the bubonic plague. A husband and wife reportedly died after eating marmot meat in Mongolia. The plague killed 50 million people in the 14th century. https://t.co/V9bONGR9JN — Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) May 3, 2019

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