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A suspected case of bubonic plague has been reported to the Chinese authorities.
It is unknown how the patient became infected, but the country is on alert for more cases.
Plague is one of the deadliest diseases in human history, but it can now be easily treated with antibiotics.
What is bubonic plague?
Plague is a potentially lethal infectious disease caused by a bacteria called Yersinia pestis that lives in some animals, mainly rodents, and their fleas.
Bubonic plague is the most common type of the disease that people can get. The name comes from the symptoms it causes: painful and swollen lymph nodes or ‘buboes’ in the groin or armpit.
From 2010 to 2015, 3,248 cases were reported worldwide, including 584 deaths.
Historically, it has also been called the Black Death, referring to gangrenous blackening and death of body parts, such as the fingers and toes, that can occur with the disease.
That makes?
A person usually becomes ill with bubonic plague two to six days after becoming infected.
Along with sensitive and enlarged lymph nodes, which can be as big as a chicken egg, other symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness.
The plague can also affect the lungs, causing cough, chest pain, and difficulty breathing.
The bacteria can also enter the bloodstream and cause a condition called septicemia or sepsis, which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death.
How can you catch it?
People can catch it from:
- Infected flea bites
- Touching infected animals like rats and mice
- Inhale infected respiratory drops spread by infected people or animals
Domestic cats and dogs can become infected by flea bites or by eating infected rodents.
The infection could also enter the body through a cut in the skin if the person came into close contact with the blood of an infected animal.
The current alert in China prohibits the hunting and consumption of animals that may be plague carriers.
The body of someone who has died after being infected with the plague can infect people who are in close contact, such as those preparing the body for burial.
Is there a treatment or a cure for it?
Immediate antibiotic treatment is vital. The disease is often fatal if left behind.
Early diagnosis, using laboratory tests on blood and other body samples, can save lives.
Could there be a new outbreak or pandemic?
The plague still exists in many parts of the world. In recent years there have been outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar.
Although plague was the cause of widespread disease outbreaks in medieval times, fortunately today any outbreak is small.
Dr. Matthew Dryden, consultant microbiologist at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom. He said: “It is good that this has been collected and reported at an early stage because it can be isolated, treated and prevented.
“Bubonic plague is caused by bacteria and, unlike covid-19, is easily treated with antibiotics. So while this may seem alarming, as it is another major infectious disease emerging from the east, it appears to be a single suspicious case that can be easily dealt with. “
