The bubonic plague, one of the diseases that killed between 30 and 50 percent of Europe’s population in the Middle Ages, has returned to public attention with the report of a new case.
A new case of the plague was reported in the USA – Photo Archive
A new case of the plague has been discovered in the US. Yes, we are talking about the bacterial disease also known as the Black Death, which wreaked havoc in Europe. An estimated 75,000,000 to 200,000,000 people died in Eurasia from the plague.
Even though it is now easier to treat with antibiotics, it remains a health problem. This disease affects several Americans each year, the US press writes, and last week health officials in the state of Colorado just confirmed a human case of the bacterial infection.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there are seven cases of plague in humans a year in the U.S. writes Euronews.
What is bubonic plague?
Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague and is spread naturally among rodents such as rats. Other forms include septicemic plague and pneumonic plague, each with specific manifestations.
The infection is manifested by the swelling of the lymph nodes, located in areas such as the groin, axilla and neck. Other symptoms include sudden onset of fever, chills and aches in the head, abdomen, legs and arms.
How is the plague transmitted?
Plague is transmitted through the bites of infected fleas, which are found on rodents and can also infect pets and humans. The infection can also be contracted through contact with infected body fluids or through respiratory droplets in the case of pneumonic plague, the most severe form.
Pneumonic plague is the deadliest and most easily spread, with a mortality rate of nearly 100 percent untreated, said Lisa Morici, a microbiologist and immunologist at Tulane University School of Medicine, according to the source cited.
Recent cases
In the United States, sporadic cases of plague are reported annually, most in rural areas of western states such as New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, California, Oregon and Nevada, according to the CDC.
A person in Pueblo, Colorado, about 100 miles south of Denver, has been infected with the bubonic plague, local health officials said Monday.
Globally, plague is most common in Congo, Madagascar and Peru, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
However, as Europeans we can declare ourselves lucky. According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the plague has been absent from Europe for over half a century.
“Living conditions were very different than they are now. We had high-density urban environments that were often infested with rats. This was a fertile ground for the transmission of the plagueRebecca Eisen, a research biologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Colorado, told USA Today.
Treatment and prevention
Treated promptly with antibiotics, bubonic plague can be cured. But prevention remains essential, including maintaining personal and environmental hygiene, avoiding contact with sick or dead animals, and using DEET sprays in flea-risk areas.
The plague has never been eradicated, only that medicine has advanced and the disease treated quickly can be cured.
Although there is a plague vaccine, it is only recommended for people at high risk of infection, such as laboratory workers and medical personnel. There is no vaccine commonly available in the US or Europe.
Lisa Morici emphasized the need for further research because although vaccines used in other regions of the world are effective against bubonic plague, there is no strong evidence that they offer protection against the pneumonic form of the disease. She added that testing a plague vaccine would encounter considerable ethical and logistical difficulties.
“Because the bubonic form is quite treatable with antibiotics and also quite rare – you don’t see thousands and thousands of cases of plague a year – there just isn’t a huge market for a plague vaccine right now“, declared Morici.
Should we be worried? “Humans are truly accidental hosts,” said Dr. Michelle Barron, UCHealth chief medical officer for infection prevention and control and professor of medicine and advisor at the Colorado School of Public Health.
