Quarantine measures have been announced in two soums (districts) of Khovd Province, in western Mongolia after the bubonic plague has been reported. The quarantine started at 10.00 p.m. on Monday 29 June for an indefinite period.

More than 900 students are due to take General Entrance Exam in Khovd Province. Due to the emergency situation, they will be quarantined for up to six days in provincial centre of Khovd after taking the GEE. In addition, 27 students who live in Tsetseg Soum, the epicenter of the plague outbreak, will get medical examination.

Over 30 thousand students are registered for taking the exam this year. The exam will take place on 2-5 July.

Under the Mongolian Constitution, the government must provide 12-years of free general education. At the end of their 12th year, students are required to take the General Entrance Exam if they wish to enter a university. While students choose their exams depending on their preferred field of study, since 2013, it has become mandatory for every student to take the Mongolian language exam.

According to, the National Centre for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD), a 27-year-old resident of Tsetseg Soum in Khovd Province was taken to a hospital on Sunday after having eaten marmot meat. The young woman is under treatment and is in a critical condition. It appears she has been in direct contact with over 60 people and indirectly with more than 400 individuals.

Bubonic plague is a bacterial disease that is spread by fleas living on wild rodents such as marmots. The disease can kill an adult in less than 24 hours if not treated in time, according to the World Health Organisation.