Plague in Mongolia
Plague is enzootic in Mongolian marmots; 17 of 21 provinces are classed as plague-risk areas. Of 73 human cases between 1998 and 2019, 59 percent followed close contact with infected marmots and 7 percent eating raw marmot organs. Marmot hunting has been banned since 2014.
Updated:
Situation now
A bubonic case was confirmed in late July 2026 in a resident of Khovd who was infected in Ulaankhus soum, Bayan-Olgii (NCZD says after eating marmot meat; Rospotrebnadzor says while butchering a carcass). In August a joint Russian-Mongolian survey confirmed an active focus in Tsagaan-Uul soum, Khovsgol, near the Russian border.
Authority: National Center for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD)
Reported to WHO, 2019 to 2025
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspected | 7 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 8 | 14 | 76 |
| Confirmed | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| Deaths | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
Source: WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record 101(38), 25 Sep 2026, Table 9.
Natural foci
Western Mongolia (marmot)
ActiveHosts: Tarbagan marmots
Khovd and Bayan-Olgii. Human case confirmed in July 2026 after eating marmot meat. 17 of 21 provinces are classed as plague-risk areas.
Khövsgöl (Tsagaan-Uul)
ActiveHosts: Marmots, ground squirrels
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.
Eastern Mongolian steppe
ModerateHosts: Tarbagan marmots, Brandt's voles
Dornod and Sukhbaatar.
Recent events
NCZD confirms a human bubonic plague case (Khovd resident, infected in Bayan-Olgii).
A 24-year-old herder in Tsagaan-Uul soum, Khovsgol, dies after eating marmot meat; two more cases follow and 80 contacts are isolated.
Latest signals
Headlines attributed to Mongolia in the last 45 days. Not verified by us.