Twenty people who had contact with a pneumonic plague patient in Huade county, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, were discharged from quarantine on Saturday.

The patient, who is from Xilingol League of the region, is still receiving treatment in the Huade County Hospital. According to medical staff in the hospital, the patient is in a stable condition.

In addition to the 20 people discharged, eight others that had contact with the patient had also been put under quarantine, and were later discharged as none had shown any symptoms such as fever.

Prior to this case, two patients from Xilingol were diagnosed with pneumonic plague in Beijing early last week. No epidemiological association was found between the cases, according to authorities.

Since the two plague outbreaks, the health department in Inner Mongolia has carried out investigations and rodent extermination. So far, a total of 12 rats and two rabbits were found to have been infected with the plague. Disinfection work is being actively carried out.

Twelve leagues in Inner Mongolia have teamed up in a coordinated pneumonic plague control campaign with Xilingol League setting up 13 pneumonic plague control teams providing locals with disease prevention and control assistance.