A village in Inner Mongolia has been sealed off after a resident died from bubonic plague.
The patient, from Suji Xincun village, died of circulatory system failure, the Baotou Municipal Health Commission said in a statement on its website.
The death was reported to health authorities in Baotou city on Sunday and the victim was confirmed to have had bubonic plague on Thursday, it added.
The commission did not mention how the patient caught the plague.
The centuries-old disease was responsible for the most deadly pandemic in human history — the Black Death pandemic in the Middle Ages.
Authorities in China sealed off Suji Xincun village and ordered daily disinfection of homes to curb its spread.
All villagers have so far tested negative for the disease, the statement said.
Nine close contacts and 26 secondary contacts of the patient have been quarantined and tested negative.
Damao Banner, the district where the village is located, has been put on Level 3 alert for plague prevention, the second lowest in a four-level system, until the end of the year.
This is the second case and first death of bubonic plague that China has confirmed this year.
The previous case was discovered in July in Bayannur, another city in Inner Mongolia.
This prompted another Level 3 alert and the closure of several tourist spots.
Plague, caused by bacteria and transmitted through flea bites and infected animals, killed an estimated 50 million people in Europe during the Black Death pandemic in the Middle Ages.
Bubonic plague, which is one of plague's three forms, causes swollen lymph nodes, as well as fever, chills, and coughing.
Anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 people get the plague every year, according to the World Health Organisation but that does not account for unreported cases.
On Thursday, Baotou authorities warned of a risk of "a human plague epidemic spreading in the city."
They urged the public to take extra precautions and seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms of fever or coughing.
They also urged people to reduce contact with wild animals while travelling and avoid hunting, skinning or eating animals that could cause infection.
