General Information About Plague
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
It is a severe disease that caused the death of millions of people in the Middle Ages (The Black Death), where a bacterium called Yersinia pestis suddenly destroys the lymphatic system, blood, and lungs.
It is the most common type. It is the transformation of the lymph nodes near where the flea bites (usually the groin or armpit) into walnut/egg-sized, blackish, very painful inflamed glands (Buboes).
When the bacteria reaches the lungs or is inhaled through the coughing of a sick person, it turns into pneumonia. Pneumonic plague is the only type of plague that can spread very quickly from person to person through the air via sneezing and can kill within 24 hours.
Although it is thought to be a thing of the past, the bacteria still lives in rodents (squirrels/marmots, etc.) in the rural/forested areas of the USA, Madagascar, Peru, and Asia, and human cases are reported every year, albeit rarely.
An urgent diagnosis is made by sending a fluid sample taken from the swollen lymph node (bubo), blood, or sputum to the laboratory and seeing or culturing the bacteria under a microscope.
The disease is no longer incurable. If diagnosed early, patients recover completely and quickly with common antibiotics of the Streptomycin, Gentamicin, or Tetracycline group. However, starting treatment within the first 24 hours is life-saving.
Our health library contents are prepared for informational purposes only and with scientific data available at the time of recording. For all your questions, concerns, diagnosis, or treatment regarding your health, please consult your doctor or a healthcare institution.
