Plague

Brandon El
Oct. 2, 2010


Since the 1300's there has been many cases of the plague recorded in history in all parts of the world. Its origins can be traced back to Europe where they referred to this life threateninging disease as the Black Death. Found mostly on small rodents like mice it has also been found to be present in certain animals that have been bit by these rodents. Fleas would feed on the rats and smaller wild creatures and infect them and if a human get bitten by it then they soon will get sick and become contagious. In the mid 1800's it saw its worst outbreak in China and killed nearly 12 million people.
The plague can be broken down into three different categories, the Bubonic Plague, Septicemic Plague and finally the Pneumonic plague. In the Bubonic plague it can be contracted through bites from an infected rodents and in some cases clothing that has been touched by the animal. The lymph system is then attacked and flu like symptoms begin to appear, you may also see in some people swollen lymph glands like tonsils. The Septicemic plague can be caught in the same ways as the previous but other syptoms like fever, chills abdonminal pain, bleeding under skin and shock are additional things to look out for. Pneumonic plague is the least common yet the deadliest, it happens when a person inhales plague bacteria from an infected person or animal. This can also be a secondary stage to both the bubonic and septicemic plague if untreated and will attack your lungs and cause pneumonia. symptoms include pneumonia 1-3 days post exposure and chest pain along with shortness of breath.
The WHO (World Health Organization) has done much in its attempt to educated and further prevent this terribly, deadly disease from spreading. Statistics they have gathered states that less than 2200 people worldwide are infected with any of these plague a year. Out of all these diagnoses only 1 out of every 7 people dies. Though there has been a few outbreaks in Asia and Africa there has not been a case of person to person infection since 1924.

In reaction to this article I can say I'm truly proud of everything the WHO has done and is doing as far as prevetion of the disease. They must be working incredibly hard reducing rates of people being infected from hundreds of thousands to millions to under 2500 a year. Creating vaccines and educating people that getting to your healthcare provider in a quick and orderly manner can sabe their lives and have absolutely nothing to worry about. I was also very surprised to hear about there being 3 different plagues. Never in all of my life did I hear about these 3 different diseases being linked together and all being so deadly. It makes me feel much safer to hear about all this and know what symptoms and what actions I should take if I'm ever in an area where I know the plague is still found to be present.

http://www.medicinenet.com/plague/page2.htm