The coronavirus pandemic has engulfed the world so much that we have almost forgotten other threats, perhaps much worse. Meanwhile, pneumonic plague is spreading at an alarming rate in Madagascar.
- Plague is one of the most dangerous diseases in the history of medicine. Past “Black Death” epidemics have killed millions of people worldwide
- The disease has several varieties. Its pulmonary variant is called an endemic disease in Madagascar. The last serious epidemic broke out there in 2017. It killed more than 200 people
- Recently, the plague has hit Madagascar again. Within a few days, 30 new cases were recorded. There are also fatalities
- More information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page
In just a few days, 30 new cases were recorded on an island in the Indian Ocean, seven people died. The largest concentration of cases is presently within the city of Miandrandra. Although this type of plague is endemic and only occurs in this region, it is possible that the disease may pose a threat to other countries as well. The very fact that new cases of the pulmonary plague in Madagascar now appeared for the first time since 2017 is worrying.
Scientists are also clearly aware of the risk of spreading the disease more widely. Research has begun in Oxford this year to develop a vaccine against the plague. Over the next year, a group of 40 adults aged 18 to 55 will be tested.
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What is the plague?
It is considered to be one of the most contagious and most serious human diseases. The fourteenth-century plague epidemic, also known then as the “plague” or “black death”, is considered probably the largest epidemic in history. According to various estimates, it killed between 75 and 200 million people then.
Plague is a dangerous, bacterial infectious disease that occurs in mammals and is characterized by an acute course. It is caused by the gram-negative bacteria Yersinia pestis of the family Enterobacteriaceae – because of their shape they are called plague sticks. It is usually spread by fleas, but also by rats, squirrels, wild rabbits, gophers, dormice and voles. In its pulmonary form, however, it can also spread via droplets.
- Also check: The worst pandemic in the history of mankind. Black Death has decimated the world
Symptoms of pulmonary plague
Fever, headache, shortness of breath, spitting blood, and sometimes even symptoms of acute pneumonia – these are the main symptoms of pulmonary plaguewhich is one of the most severe forms of this disease. It is spread by droplets: bacteria in the form of sputum droplets enter the respiratory tract, where they stay on the mucous membranes and cause inflammation. If the germs have settled on the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, they pass from there to the lungs, along the lymphatic and blood vessels. The prognosis for this form of plague is not the best – it often leads to respiratory failure, circulatory failure, and, as a result, death of the patient. The pulmonary form of the plague can also involve the bubonic (secondary pulmonary) form.
- Read: The plague epidemic in Madagascar. Seven people died
Are we in danger of a plague epidemic?
Although pulmonary plague occurs regularly only in Madagascar and not at all in Europe, different varieties of the disease are found locally in other regions of the world. It can be brought by travelers in Asia, Africa and South America. Plague cases are also still reported sporadically in the US west.
Examples are provided by “Wprost”, mentioning, inter alia, about a 10-year-old girl who recently died in Colorado, USA. The sticks that cause this disease Yersinia pestis confirmed in fleas and rodents in six surrounding counties. Epidemiologists have advised residents to avoid contact with wild animals and to separate their dogs and cats from them.
In 2020, during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia, there were several deaths from eating plague-infected marmot meat.
If, after staying in one of the endemic regions of this disease, we observe characteristic symptoms of plague – especially significant enlargement of the lymph nodes – we should immediately consult a doctor.
Also read:
- Coverage of the COVID-19 coronavirus [MAP update 16.09.2021/XNUMX/XNUMX]
- Diseases that decimated humanity before vaccines were invented
- COVID-19 is likely to become an endemic disease – what does that mean? [WE EXPLAIN]
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