In rural Oregon this week, there was a case of the bubonic plague, which killed tens of millions of people in medieval Europe. Health experts feel that there is “little risk to the community” that the sickness will spread because the affected person received rapid treatment.
Even though the sickness is extremely rare in the contemporary day, a few instances are documented each year. Officialthe ailment was likely contracted by a sick pet cat. However, medical professionals are far more adept in treating the illness and stopping its spread in 2024.
What is the Bubonic Plague?
The Yersinia pestis bacteria is the cause of the infectious disease known as the bubonic plague, which may afflict mammals. It is frequently spread by fleas carrying the bacterium. Additionally, breathing in respiratory droplets after being close to animals or people who have the most severe form of the disease, pneumonic plague can also transmit the infection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that “direct contact with infected tissues or fluids while handling an animal that is sick with or that has died from plague” is another method it might spread.
What are The Symptoms Of Plague?
The symptoms of a plague might appear in several ways. The type of plague that the citizens of Oregon received, known as bubonic plague, is caused by the plague germs entering lymph nodes. It may result in painful, enlarged lymph nodes, a fever, headaches, and weakness. According to the CDC, it often results from the bite of an infected flea.
Symptoms of the septicemic plague appear when the germs enter the circulation. It may happen at the beginning or after untreated bubonic plague. Along with the same fever, chills, and fatigue, this type of plague can also produce shock, stomach discomfort, and occasionally additional symptoms including skin bleeding and blackened fingers, toes, or nose. According to the CDC, touching an infected animal or being bitten by fleas can cause this kind.
The most dangerous kind of disease is pneumonic plague, which develops when germs enter the lungs. The symptoms of pneumonic plague include pneumonia that develops quickly. It is the only type of plague that can be inhaled by an infected individual and transferred from one person to another.
Common antibiotics may be used to treat any form of plague, and early treatment increases the likelihood of a full recovery, according to the CDC.
Who is in danger?
The CDC reports seven instances of human plague in the US on average each year, with the bubonic type accounting for around 80% of cases. The majority of such incidents are documented in the US’s rural west and southwest.
When a welder in central Oregon took a mouse out of his choking cat’s mouth in 2012, he caught the bubonic plague. Although he lived, the illness destroyed his fingers and toes. In 2015, a Colorado kid was exposed to a deadly case while hunting, and last year, Colorado officials verified at least two instances, one of which was fatal.
As per the Cleveland Clinic, the majority of plague cases that have affected humans globally in the past several decades have been reported from rural towns and villages in Africa, specifically in Madagascar and the Congo.
By putting pet food out of reach, pruning back overgrowth and mounds of trash, and making outdoor living spaces less appealing to rats, people can lower their chance of contracting the plague. If a person has bird or squirrel feeders and lives in an area where there is a plague epidemic, they should think about the hazards involved. Ground squirrels, chipmunks, wood rats, and other rodents can all spread the plague.
