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In recent decades, it has been associated with the title of school reading rather than a real threat. Unfortunately, the disease, which has been credited with more than 200 million victims, is making a comeback. The plague warning was issued in China, and since 2009, several cases have been reported there every year. According to experts from the World Health Organization, the bacteria causing the plague is currently the greatest biological threat in the world. So what should we know about this disease?
The plague is still dangerous
In China, between 2009 and 2018, 26 cases of the plague were diagnosed, including 11 fatalities.
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In late September 2017, an outbreak of the plague occurred in Madagascar. In less than a month, it led to 45 deaths. In total, 385 cases were registered in 27 out of 114 districts of this country. Although the plague is endemic in some regions of Madagascar, the latest epidemic has been extremely dangerous. In most cases, cases of the more dangerous, pulmonary form of plague, transmitted by airborne droplets, were found. In addition, the epidemic hit earlier than usual and spread to urban areas, including the country’s capital.
The situation is all the more worrying as the bacteria causing the plague are becoming more resistant to antibiotics. Experts believe that they can be used for bioterrorist attacks. No wonder that in 2016 the World Health Organization recognized the plague as the greatest biological threat today.
What causes the plague, and how can it become infected?
Plague is an acute infectious disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, simply called plague sticks. One of the routes of infection is the bites of infected fleas, parasitizing on animals, or the animals themselves, mainly rodents, such as rats, mice, squirrels, guinea pigs, but also lagomorphs such as rabbits, or cats (interestingly enough, there are dogs). These animals constitute a reservoir of bacteria, enabling their survival in the so-called the enzootic cycle. Unfortunately, there are more ways to get infected with the plague stick.
Harvesting in Madagascar, the pulmonary form of this disease is transmitted by airborne droplets. Infection can also occur through sexual contact with an infected person, through the consumption of water or food contaminated with faeces, or even through contact with the surface of the pathogen. Moreover, the bacteria can also enter the body from the air, in which it can remain for some time.
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Plague symptoms and types
The symptoms of the plague depend on the type of plague. Bubonic plague is the most common in both humans and animals. Its main symptom is swollen lymph nodes in the armpits, groin and neck. Swollen nodes may be about the size of a chicken egg. Less characteristic symptoms are headaches, high fever and chills, muscle aches and severe weakness. Much more dangerous, though less frequently recorded so far, is the pulmonary form of the plague.
As its name suggests, it affects the lungs and can be transmitted through the respiratory tract. The disease manifests itself even within a few hours of infection. The main symptoms are coughing, coughing up bloody discharge, increasing difficulty in breathing, nausea, vomiting, high fever and headache. If left untreated, pulmonary plague leads to death in any case. In the case of bubonic plague, the death rate ranges from 30 to 60%. A third type of disease caused by Y. pestis is septic plague, which is usually a complication of bubonic plague, although it can also develop outside of this phase when the germs enter the bloodstream directly. The course of the septic plague is very acute. The disease can be fatal within hours.
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Plague treatment and prevention
Plague develops in areas of poor sanitation and lack of access to medical care. However, infection can also occur in more developed countries, although these are rare situations. For example, in 2015, there were 16 infections and 4 deaths caused by the plague in the United States. The risk factor is contact with organisms that transmit Y. pestis – fleas, rodents, but also people who may be carriers. It can occur in various situations (e.g. when traveling by plane), so it is worth being aware of the symptoms caused by the plague in order to intervene early.
It is also worth getting information on epidemiological threats and the availability of medical care in the countries to which we travel. Plague treatment is carried out in hospital with strong antibiotics such as gentamicin, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin or levofloxacin.
- Terrifying diseases. They can kill in one day
The greatest plague epidemics in history
Plague is possibly the most deadly disease in human history. It has been taking a deadly toll since ancient times. Some researchers claim that it appeared in Europe due to Roman troops returning from the Persian Gulf in AD 165. The first documented pandemic of this disease was the so-called Justinian’s plague, in the years 541-542 It spread from Egypt, through Europe, to the western part of Asia, and claimed, according to various estimates, from 25 to 50 million lives.
In the centuries that followed, the plague spread to Persia, Byzantium and the British Isles. However, the greatest outbreak of the disease occurred in the 1346th century. The pandemic of 1350–75, known as the “Black Death”, killed 200 to 30 million people in Europe, Asia and North Africa, representing 60 to XNUMX% of the population. the then population of this part of the world. Unfortunately, the plague did not say its last word at the time.
In the centuries that followed, it killed not only in Europe, but also in Mexico, South America, Africa, China, Our Country, the United States, and Canada. The death toll was in the tens of thousands, sometimes in the millions. In the 1910th century, the plague had the greatest harvest in China, where in 1912–40 it killed approx. 200 people. people. In recent years, the average annual number of deaths due to the plague has been around XNUMX.
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