HEALTH ALERT AS CASES OF MEDIEVAL PLAGUE FOUND IN USA

Health officials in the USA are probing two cases of the Plague, with one patient currently under treatment in Colorado after contracting the medieval disease. The Plague is a severe illness that typically manifests in three main forms - bubonic, pneumonic or septicemic - and can be transmitted between infected animals and humans in several ways.

These include through the bite of infected fleas, direct contact with infected tissues, and inhalation of infected respiratory droplets, as per the World Health Organization (WHO). The Express reports that Bubonic plague has a fatality rate of 30 to 60 per cent, while the pneumonic variant is always fatal if left untreated.

Symptoms resemble those of the flu, such as sudden fever, severe head and muscle aches, chills, and vomiting. Swollen lymph nodes are also common, and hands and feet may turn black.

The bacterium Yersinia pestis, carried by rodents and fleas, causes the disease, and antibiotics are used for treatment.

The most lethal outbreak of the bubonic plague occurred in Europe between 1345 and 2353, during a period known as The Black Death, claiming as many as 50 million lives. It was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, but doctors in the 21st century are well-prepared to handle cases and prevent its spread, reports Gloucestershire Live.

The US sees an average of seven cases of human plague each year, as per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Earlier in February, a woman in Oregon was successfully treated after contracting the disease from her ill pet cat.

A dozen years ago, an Oregon welder lost his fingertips and toes to the plague after rescuing a choking cat with a rodent in its mouth. In 2015, a Colorado teen tragically died after being infected while hunting, and two more cases were confirmed in the state last year - one of which was fatal.

Globally, most human cases of plague in recent years have been reported in rural towns and villages in Africa, especially in Madagascar and Congo, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

2024-07-05T05:50:08Z dg43tfdfdgfd