Two people in China are being treated for pneumonic plague, commonly known as the black plague, one of the deadliest pandemics in human history. 

The two patients from the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia were diagnosed by doctors in Beijing. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says it understood that close contacts are being screened and managed. 

 “The Chinese National Health Commission are implementing efforts to contain and treat the identified cases and increasing surveillance,” said WHO China.