By Jonathan Le

Bubonic Plague

Bubonic plague is a severe and possibly deadly bacterial infection. The infection is caused by the bacteria called Yersinia pestis. Yersinia Pestis is most often carried by small rodents such as rats, mice, and squirrels.

What Is Bubonic Plague?

Bubonic plague is not spread through contact but is transferred through flea and tick bites.

How Do You Get Bubonic Plague?

Bubonic plague still occurs in the world. According to the World Health Organization, there are about 1,000 to 3,000 cases of bubonic plague around the world each year. It is found in Russia, the Middle East, China, Southwest and Southeast Asia, Madagascar, southern and eastern Africa, the Andes mountains and Brazil. Only 10-15 of those cases are in the U.S. These cases tend to occur in the south western part of the United States.

Where is Bubonic Plague Found?

Bubonic plague symptoms usually appear after 2-7 days since becoming infected, called the incubation period. Symptoms include: Chills, high fever, headache, malaise, muscle pain, seizures, internal bleeding causing a blackish discoloration of the skin, and enlarged, painful lymph nodes called buboes. Buboes are caused because the bacteria begin to multiply in the lymphatic system.

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What Are the Symptoms of Bubonic Plague?

Patients diagnosed with bubonic plague should begin treatment immediately. Antibiotics are the best way to cure bubonic plague. If left untreated, the mortality rate of 50% -90%. With early diagnoses and treatment, the rate drops down to about 15%.

How Do You Cure Bubonic Plague?

Major outbreaks on bubonic plague are because of large amounts of flea-ridden rats infesting cities. In developed countries, have controlled their rat populations. But in developing and 3rd world countries, rat infestation is a problem, putting them at risk for a bubonic plague epidemic. Treating your pets for fleas, using insecticide to kill fleas, and calling an exterminator if there is a rat problem in your home are simple ways to make sure bubonic plague does not enter your household.

Is Bubonic Plague Preventable?

One of the most devastating pandemics in history was the Black Death. The height of it in Europe between 1348 to 1350. The cause of this is thought to be of rats traveling on ships that went on the Silk Road, which was an international trading route to China. The Black Death is estimated to have killed over 100 million people in the 14th century.

Bubonic Plague Epidemic

Information from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000596.htm

http://rarediseases.about.com/cs/bubonicplague/a/111602.htm

http://plague.emedtv.com/bubonic-plague/bubonic-plague.html

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/bubonic-plague

http://www.cdc.gov/plague/

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs267/en/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/rxforsurvival/series/diseases/plague.html

http://www.infoplease.com/cig/dangerous-diseases-epidemics/bubonic-plague.html

Photos from: http://rarediseases.about.com/od/infectiousdiseases/ig/Pictures-of-Bubonic-Plague/blood-smear.htm

http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/133992/enlarge

http://www.hitthetrail.com/bubonic-plague

https://www.biodigitalhuman.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Symptoms_of_bubonic_plague.svg

http://stores.duchefadirect.com/catalog/Streptomycin_50g.jpg

http://rainbowdist.com/content/images/thumbs/0008740_raid_flea_killer_plus_carpet_room_spray_16_ounce_cans_300.jpeg

http://www.medievalists.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Black-Death.jpg

Bibliography