{
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "note": "Coordinates are approximate centres for display, not boundaries.",
  "foci": [
    {
      "id": "ru-altai",
      "name": {
        "en": "Gorno-Altai high-mountain focus (Sailugem)",
        "ru": "Горно-Алтайский высокогорный очаг (Сайлюгем)"
      },
      "country": "RU",
      "lat": 49.85,
      "lon": 88.6,
      "hosts": "Grey marmots, long-tailed ground squirrels",
      "activity": "high",
      "note": "Code 36, 11,597 km2 in Russia; part of the transboundary Sailugem focus (about 29,000 km2, two thirds in Mongolia). Epizootics and 4 strains in 2025; high activity reported in 2026. Source of Russia's last human cases: 2014, 2015 and 2016, all after butchering marmots.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "MU 3.1.3.3395-16: Passports of natural plague foci of the Russian Federation",
          "url": "https://meganorm.ru/Data2/1/4293748/4293748009.htm",
          "tier": "primary"
        },
        {
          "name": "Mikrob: epizootic activity of Russian plague foci in 2025",
          "url": "https://www.microbe.ru/files/Plag_foc_2025.pdf",
          "tier": "primary"
        },
        {
          "name": "Parlamentskaya Gazeta, 4 Sep 2026",
          "url": "https://www.pnp.ru/social/chuma-pod-kontrolem-rospotrebnadzor-usilil-monitoring-na-granice-s-mongoliey.html",
          "tier": "press"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ru-tuva",
      "name": {
        "en": "Tuva mountain focus",
        "ru": "Тувинский горный очаг"
      },
      "country": "RU",
      "lat": 50.3,
      "lon": 90.2,
      "hosts": "Long-tailed ground squirrels, fleas",
      "activity": "high",
      "note": "Code 37, 7,489 km2, Mongun-Taiga area on the Mongolian border. 8 Y. pestis strains isolated from fleas in 2025; epizootics forecast for 2026.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "MU 3.1.3.3395-16: Passports of natural plague foci of the Russian Federation",
          "url": "https://meganorm.ru/Data2/1/4293748/4293748009.htm",
          "tier": "primary"
        },
        {
          "name": "Mikrob: epizootic activity of Russian plague foci in 2025",
          "url": "https://www.microbe.ru/files/Plag_foc_2025.pdf",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ru-transbaikal",
      "name": {
        "en": "Transbaikal steppe focus",
        "ru": "Забайкальский степной очаг"
      },
      "country": "RU",
      "lat": 50.1,
      "lon": 116.6,
      "hosts": "Daurian ground squirrels, tarbagan marmots",
      "activity": "low",
      "note": "Code 38, 18,150 km2 in Zabaikalsky Krai. Low epizootic potential forecast for 2026.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "MU 3.1.3.3395-16: Passports of natural plague foci of the Russian Federation",
          "url": "https://meganorm.ru/Data2/1/4293748/4293748009.htm",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ru-central-caucasus",
      "name": {
        "en": "Central Caucasus high-mountain focus",
        "ru": "Центрально-Кавказский высокогорный очаг"
      },
      "country": "RU",
      "lat": 43.4,
      "lon": 42.6,
      "hosts": "Mountain sousliks",
      "activity": "moderate",
      "note": "Code 01, 4,309 km2 near Elbrus (Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia). One strain isolated in July 2025.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "MU 3.1.3.3395-16: Passports of natural plague foci of the Russian Federation",
          "url": "https://meganorm.ru/Data2/1/4293748/4293748009.htm",
          "tier": "primary"
        },
        {
          "name": "Mikrob: epizootic activity of Russian plague foci in 2025",
          "url": "https://www.microbe.ru/files/Plag_foc_2025.pdf",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ru-east-caucasus",
      "name": {
        "en": "East Caucasus high-mountain focus",
        "ru": "Восточно-Кавказский высокогорный очаг"
      },
      "country": "RU",
      "lat": 42,
      "lon": 47,
      "hosts": "Voles, sousliks",
      "activity": "low",
      "note": "Code 39, 23,420 km2 in mountainous Dagestan.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "MU 3.1.3.3395-16: Passports of natural plague foci of the Russian Federation",
          "url": "https://meganorm.ru/Data2/1/4293748/4293748009.htm",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ru-terek-sunzha",
      "name": {
        "en": "Terek-Sunzha low-mountain focus",
        "ru": "Терско-Сунженский низкогорный очаг"
      },
      "country": "RU",
      "lat": 43.35,
      "lon": 45.2,
      "hosts": "Sousliks, voles",
      "activity": "low",
      "note": "Code 02, 2,336 km2 (Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia).",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "MU 3.1.3.3395-16: Passports of natural plague foci of the Russian Federation",
          "url": "https://meganorm.ru/Data2/1/4293748/4293748009.htm",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ru-dagestan-plain",
      "name": {
        "en": "Dagestan plain-piedmont focus",
        "ru": "Дагестанский равнинно-предгорный очаг"
      },
      "country": "RU",
      "lat": 43.3,
      "lon": 46.9,
      "hosts": "Gerbils, sousliks",
      "activity": "low",
      "note": "Code 03, 11,150 km2.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "MU 3.1.3.3395-16: Passports of natural plague foci of the Russian Federation",
          "url": "https://meganorm.ru/Data2/1/4293748/4293748009.htm",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ru-caspian-nw",
      "name": {
        "en": "Pre-Caspian north-western steppe focus",
        "ru": "Прикаспийский Северо-Западный степной очаг"
      },
      "country": "RU",
      "lat": 46.4,
      "lon": 44.3,
      "hosts": "Little sousliks",
      "activity": "low",
      "note": "Code 14, 51,152 km2 (Kalmykia, Stavropol, Rostov). The last Russian human case before 2014 was in Kalmykia in 1979.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "MU 3.1.3.3395-16: Passports of natural plague foci of the Russian Federation",
          "url": "https://meganorm.ru/Data2/1/4293748/4293748009.htm",
          "tier": "primary"
        },
        {
          "name": "Problemy Osobo Opasnykh Infektsii 2016;(2):83-86",
          "url": "https://journal.microbe.ru/jour/article/download/312/309",
          "tier": "analysis"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ru-caspian-sandy",
      "name": {
        "en": "Pre-Caspian sandy focus",
        "ru": "Прикаспийский песчаный очаг"
      },
      "country": "RU",
      "lat": 45.3,
      "lon": 46.8,
      "hosts": "Gerbils",
      "activity": "low",
      "note": "Code 43, 63,276 km2, the largest Russian focus (Kalmykia, Astrakhan, Dagestan).",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "MU 3.1.3.3395-16: Passports of natural plague foci of the Russian Federation",
          "url": "https://meganorm.ru/Data2/1/4293748/4293748009.htm",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ru-volga-ural-steppe",
      "name": {
        "en": "Volga-Ural steppe focus",
        "ru": "Волго-Уральский степной очаг"
      },
      "country": "RU",
      "lat": 49.3,
      "lon": 47.6,
      "hosts": "Little sousliks",
      "activity": "low",
      "note": "Code 15, 20,873 km2 along the Kazakh border.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "MU 3.1.3.3395-16: Passports of natural plague foci of the Russian Federation",
          "url": "https://meganorm.ru/Data2/1/4293748/4293748009.htm",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ru-volga-ural-sandy",
      "name": {
        "en": "Volga-Ural sandy focus",
        "ru": "Волго-Уральский песчаный очаг"
      },
      "country": "RU",
      "lat": 47.3,
      "lon": 47.9,
      "hosts": "Gerbils",
      "activity": "low",
      "note": "Code 16, 8,625 km2 (Ryn-Peski, Astrakhan).",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "MU 3.1.3.3395-16: Passports of natural plague foci of the Russian Federation",
          "url": "https://meganorm.ru/Data2/1/4293748/4293748009.htm",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mn-west",
      "name": {
        "en": "Western Mongolia (marmot)",
        "ru": "Западная Монголия (сурки)"
      },
      "country": "MN",
      "lat": 48.4,
      "lon": 91,
      "hosts": "Tarbagan marmots",
      "activity": "high",
      "note": "Khovd and Bayan-Olgii. Human case confirmed in July 2026 after eating marmot meat. 17 of 21 provinces are classed as plague-risk areas.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO plague fact sheet",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mn-khovsgol",
      "name": {
        "en": "Khövsgöl (Tsagaan-Uul)",
        "ru": "Хубсугул (Цагаан-Уул)"
      },
      "country": "MN",
      "lat": 49.55,
      "lon": 98.65,
      "hosts": "Marmots, ground squirrels",
      "activity": "high",
      "note": "A joint Russian-Mongolian survey in August 2026 confirmed Y. pestis cultures and an active focus in Tsagaan-Uul soum, near the Russian border. Roughly 500 km from Irkutsk.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "VetandLife, 31 Aug 2026",
          "url": "https://vetandlife.ru/global-vet/aktivnost-ochagov-bubonnoj-chumy-podtverdili-v-prigranichnom-s-rf-regione-mongolii/",
          "tier": "press"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mn-east",
      "name": {
        "en": "Eastern Mongolian steppe",
        "ru": "Восточно-Монгольская степь"
      },
      "country": "MN",
      "lat": 47.8,
      "lon": 113.9,
      "hosts": "Tarbagan marmots, Brandt's voles",
      "activity": "moderate",
      "note": "Dornod and Sukhbaatar.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO plague fact sheet",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cn-inner-mongolia",
      "name": {
        "en": "Inner Mongolia",
        "ru": "Внутренняя Монголия"
      },
      "country": "CN",
      "lat": 43.9,
      "lon": 116,
      "hosts": "Mongolian gerbils, Brandt's voles",
      "activity": "moderate",
      "note": "Most Chinese human cases 2010-2024 (15 of 33) came from Inner Mongolia, including the 2019 pneumonic cases treated in Beijing. No cases January to August 2026.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO plague fact sheet",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cn-qinghai-tibet",
      "name": {
        "en": "Qinghai-Tibet plateau",
        "ru": "Цинхай-Тибетское нагорье"
      },
      "country": "CN",
      "lat": 35.5,
      "lon": 95,
      "hosts": "Himalayan marmots",
      "activity": "moderate",
      "note": "Xizang, Qinghai and Gansu. Source of most pneumonic plague clusters in China.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO plague fact sheet",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kz-balkhash",
      "name": {
        "en": "Kazakhstan desert foci",
        "ru": "Пустынные очаги Казахстана"
      },
      "country": "KZ",
      "lat": 45.5,
      "lon": 75,
      "hosts": "Great gerbils",
      "activity": "moderate",
      "note": "Pre-Balkhash, Aral and Mangyshlak deserts. Among the largest plague foci on earth by area.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO plague fact sheet",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kg-tien-shan",
      "name": {
        "en": "Tien Shan high-mountain focus",
        "ru": "Тянь-Шаньский высокогорный очаг"
      },
      "country": "KG",
      "lat": 42,
      "lon": 78.8,
      "hosts": "Grey marmots",
      "activity": "moderate",
      "note": "Sary-Jaz valley, Issyk-Kul region. A teenager died of bubonic plague in 2013. 4 Y. pestis strains isolated from animals in 2025. Ancient DNA places the origin of the Black Death near Lake Issyk-Kul.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO plague fact sheet",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mg-highlands",
      "name": {
        "en": "Madagascar central highlands",
        "ru": "Центральное нагорье Мадагаскара"
      },
      "country": "MG",
      "lat": -19,
      "lon": 47,
      "hosts": "Black rats (Rattus rattus), Xenopsylla cheopis",
      "activity": "high",
      "note": "Central and northern highlands above 800 m, seasonal from about September to April. 1,482 suspected cases and 307 deaths reported to WHO in 2019-2025, the highest fatality of any country. The 2017 urban pneumonic epidemic caused 2,417 cases and 209 deaths.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO plague fact sheet",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague",
          "tier": "primary"
        },
        {
          "name": "WHO WER 101(38), 25 Sep 2026",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/publications/journals/weekly-epidemiological-record/wer101-38",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cd-ituri",
      "name": {
        "en": "Ituri, DR Congo",
        "ru": "Итури, ДР Конго"
      },
      "country": "CD",
      "lat": 2.1,
      "lon": 30.8,
      "hosts": "Rats, multimammate mice",
      "activity": "high",
      "note": "Ituri highlands, documented since 1928; Rethy and Logo health zones most active. 1,893 cases and 101 deaths reported to WHO in 2019-2025, the most of any country. Ituri is also the epicentre of the 2026 Ebola epidemic.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO WER 101(38), 25 Sep 2026",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/publications/journals/weekly-epidemiological-record/wer101-38",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ug-west-nile",
      "name": {
        "en": "West Nile, Uganda",
        "ru": "Западный Нил, Уганда"
      },
      "country": "UG",
      "lat": 2.55,
      "lon": 31,
      "hosts": "Rats",
      "activity": "moderate",
      "note": "Arua, Zombo and Nebbi districts, adjoining Ituri.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO plague fact sheet",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ke-baringo",
      "name": {
        "en": "Western and Rift Valley Kenya",
        "ru": "Запад Кении"
      },
      "country": "KE",
      "lat": 0.5,
      "lon": 35.7,
      "hosts": "Rodents",
      "activity": "moderate",
      "note": "Kenya reported 375 suspected and 22 confirmed cases to WHO in 2019-2025, its first confirmed cases since the 2000s coming in 2021. No deaths reported. Approximate centroid; WHO gives no focus map.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO WER 101(38), 25 Sep 2026",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/publications/journals/weekly-epidemiological-record/wer101-38",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tz-lushoto",
      "name": {
        "en": "Lushoto, Tanzania",
        "ru": "Лушото, Танзания"
      },
      "country": "TZ",
      "lat": -4.8,
      "lon": 38.3,
      "hosts": "Rodents",
      "activity": "low",
      "note": "Usambara mountains. Recurrent human cases until the 2010s.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO plague fact sheet",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pe-north",
      "name": {
        "en": "Northern Peru",
        "ru": "Северное Перу"
      },
      "country": "PE",
      "lat": -7.2,
      "lon": -79,
      "hosts": "Wild and domestic rodents, guinea pigs",
      "activity": "moderate",
      "note": "La Libertad, Cajamarca, Lambayeque and Piura.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO plague fact sheet",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bo-apolo",
      "name": {
        "en": "Apolo, Bolivia",
        "ru": "Аполо, Боливия"
      },
      "country": "BO",
      "lat": -14.7,
      "lon": -68.5,
      "hosts": "Rodents",
      "activity": "low",
      "note": "La Paz department.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO plague fact sheet",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "us-four-corners",
      "name": {
        "en": "US Southwest (Four Corners)",
        "ru": "Юго-запад США"
      },
      "country": "US",
      "lat": 35.6,
      "lon": -107,
      "hosts": "Prairie dogs, rock squirrels, chipmunks",
      "activity": "high",
      "note": "Northern New Mexico, northern Arizona and southern Colorado. New Mexico alone had 254 of 502 US cases in 1970-2023. 2026 so far: one case in Apache County, Arizona (April) and a fatal case in Santa Fe County, New Mexico (June).",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "CDC plague maps and statistics",
          "url": "https://www.cdc.gov/plague/maps-statistics/index.html",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "us-far-west",
      "name": {
        "en": "US Far West",
        "ru": "Дальний Запад США"
      },
      "country": "US",
      "lat": 40,
      "lon": -120.5,
      "hosts": "Ground squirrels, chipmunks",
      "activity": "moderate",
      "note": "California, Oregon and Nevada.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "CDC plague maps and statistics",
          "url": "https://www.cdc.gov/plague/maps-statistics/index.html",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "br-northeast",
      "name": {
        "en": "Northeast Brazil",
        "ru": "Северо-восток Бразилии"
      },
      "country": "BR",
      "lat": -7.5,
      "lon": -39.5,
      "hosts": "Wild rodents",
      "activity": "low",
      "note": "Enzootic, no recent human cases reported.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "WHO plague fact sheet",
          "url": "https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/plague",
          "tier": "primary"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}