[ad_1]
Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted by fleas and transmitted between animals.
Bubonic plague – the most common form – is caused by the bite of an infected flea and can spread through contact with infectious body fluids or contaminated material.
Patients may show signs of fever and nausea and, in an advanced stage, develop open wounds filled with pus.
It devastated Europe in the Middle Ages, especially during the Black Death of the 1340s, which killed a third or more of the continent's population.
After the plague of the Black Death became a common phenomenon in Europe, with epidemics recurring regularly until the 18th century.
When the Great Plague of 1665 struck, a fifth of London's inhabitants died, the victims being locked in their homes and red crosses painted on the door.
Bubonic plague has almost completely disappeared from the rich world: 90% of cases are now in Africa.
It is now possible to treat with antibiotics, provided that they are administered quickly.
Still, there have been a few non-fatal cases in the United States, with an average of seven cases reported per year, according to disease control officials.
According to the World Health Organization, between 2010 and 2015, 3,248 cases were reported worldwide, including 584 deaths.
Some plague vaccines have been developed, but none are available to the general public.
WHO does not recommend vaccination except for high-risk groups such as health workers.
Without antibiotics, the bubonic strain can spread to the lungs, where it becomes the most virulent form of pneumonia.
Pneumonic plague, which can kill within 24 hours, can then be transmitted by coughing, sneezing, or spitting.
[ad_2]
Source link