This is a dangerous health condition caused by a germ known as Yersinia pestis. These germs live in the small rodents and their fleas. Commonly, humans get a Plague through a flea bite. However, this is a rare condition that happens only in several countries around the world. In the U.S. this condition happens in rural or semi-rural regions of western states only.
Physicians usually prescribe antibiotics to treat this condition. In any case, if you do not receive treatment this condition can be fatal. Potentially, this condition is considered a bioweapon and the U.S. government has different plans and treatments if the disease will be used as a weapon.
Symptoms
The symptoms usually appear depending on the type of plague you experience. Check below plague types:
Bubonic Plague
This plague type provokes swelling of the lymph nodes (small bean-shaped organs in the immune system of the body). When a lymph node becomes swollen it is known as a bubo. When a person gets bubonic plague, these swollen lymph nodes usually appear in the groin, neck, or armpits. These buboes can be tender or painful and vary in size (between 1-10 centimeters). Check below for other bubonic plague symptoms:
- Sudden high fever
- Chills
- Headaches
- Tiredness
- Weakness
- Muscle aches
- Skin sores (in rare cases)
Septicemic Plague
This type occurs when plague bacteria begin to multiply in the bloodstream. At the same time, buboes may not appear. Check below some early septicemic plague symptoms:
- Extreme weakness
- High fever and chills
- Stomach pain
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
More severe symptoms can appear with advanced disease and organ failure. Examples include:
- Bleeding that occurs from the mouth, nose, or rectum, or under the skin
- Rash
- Seizures
- Hypotension (low blood pressure)
- Gangrene that occurs mostly on the fingers, toes, ears, and nose
Pneumonic Plague
In such cases, the disease negatively affects the lungs. This plague type either begins in the lungs or spreads from the infected lymph nodes. The symptoms of this plague type usually appear within several hours after exposure and often worsen quickly. Check below some of them:
- Chest pain
- Weakness
- Headaches
- Stomach upset
- Vomiting
- Irregular or shallow breathing
- Cough
- High fever
If a person with pneumonic plague does not get treatment on the first day, the condition can progress fast and lead to lung failure, shock, and even death.
If you experience sudden high fever and other symptoms associated with plague, immediately visit a doctor.
Causes
The primary cause of plague is a bacteria (Yersinia pestis). It usually spreads to humans through small animals and their fleas. Check below some animals located in the western U.S. that could have this bacteria:
- Squirrels
- Rabbits
- Prairie dogs
- Ground squirrels
- Chipmunks
- Mice, rats, and voles
Check below other animals that can get this bacteria by eating small ones:
- Pets (including cats and dogs)
- Wild cats
- Coyotes
In addition, people usually get this condition from flea bites that come from small wild animals or pets. If you are in direct contact with a sick animal, you also can experience this disease. For instance, a hunter can get the condition while handling or skinning an infected animal. Moreover, pneumonic plague can pass from animals to humans or from humans to humans through small droplets in the air that carry this bacteria.
Risk Factors
The risk of getting this disease is very low. Approximately several thousand people experience this condition per year worldwide. In the United States about 7 people suffer from the plague per year. Your risk of getting a plague depends on different factors. For example:
Location
The most common regions where people get this condition are Madagascar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Peru. Moreover, in Madagascar occur an outbreak of plague each year. This condition also is reported in the western U.S. commonly in California, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. Although plague occurs more in rural and semirural areas, it can happen in cities where a large rat population lives and has poor sanitation.
Jobs
If you are working in animal clinics your risk of getting plague increases because you may be in contact with infected cats or dogs.
Hobbies
Hunting, hiking, or camping puts you at risk of getting plague from animals that carry the disease.
Complications
If you do not get treatment, you may develop any of the following complications. Examples include:
- Meningitis – A disease that causes swelling of the protective tissue of the brain and spinal cord.
- Gangrene – This is a health condition in which blood clots form in the blood vessels of the fingers, toes, nose, or ears. Thus, these blood clots provoke tissue to die.
- Pharyngeal plague – In rare cases, plague can occur in the pharynx (tissues behind the nasal cavity and mouth).
In addition, the risk of death in the U.S. from plague is roughly 11%. However, most people who suffer from bubonic plague survive with proper treatment. The deadliest plague type is septicemic plague because it is difficult to diagnose it and people do not get treatment quickly. Moreover, the risk of death for people with pneumonic plague is high if they do not receive treatment within 24 hours after the first symptoms appear.
How to Prevent Plague?
In any case, there is no vaccine available for plague but experts work to develop one. Commonly, antibiotics are used to treat plague. However, pneumonic plague is very contagious. Thus, people with this plague type are isolated during treatment and doctors should wear protective masks, gloves, eyewear, and gowns when they treat this condition. Check below some tips that will help to decrease the risk of exposure to this bacteria:
- It is advised to remove all nests for rodents including piles of brush, rock, firewood, and junk.
- You should use flea-control medications for your pets and not let them sleep outside, especially in high-risk plague areas.
- Wear protective gloves, especially when handling dead animals.
- You can also use insect repellent on the clothes and skin. These include products with DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, lemon eucalyptus oil (OLE), para-menthane-3.8-diol, or 2-undecanone. Do not apply previous products on children younger than 2 months old.
Diagnosis
Physicians will ask you some questions about symptoms and medical history. If you come in contact with dead or sick animals, if you were exposed to rodents, or have flea bites you also should tell your doctor. After that, you may need to do some tests that will help doctors confirm the condition. Examples include fluid from buboes, blood, lungs mucous, and fluid around the spinal cord and brain.
Treatment
Early diagnosis and proper treatment can help you get rid of this health problem. Commonly, the treatment is done in the hospital with antibiotics. For example:
- Levofloxacin
- Moxifloxacin
- Chloramphenicol
- Doxycycline
- Gentamicin
- Ciprofloxacin
Do not administer any medication without a doctor’s approval because it may not work or even worsen the condition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main cause of the plague?
This life-threatening condition is caused by a bacteria known as Yersinia pestis. It spreads to humans from small pets and their fleas. There are three plague types such as bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic.
Why plague is also called the Black Death?
Black Death is another name for this disease because of the black blotches that appear on the victim’s skin. Consult with your doctor for more details.
Can I get a plague nowadays?
Yes, and it spreads to humans in the same way through flea bites and infected rodents. Ask your healthcare provider if you have additional questions.
