Bubonic Plague: Is Another Pandemic Already Here?
According to medical experts, the plague is ''a zoonotic illness'' impacting rodents and spread by ''fleas from rodents to others,'' which include humans and animals.
In the middle of the COVID-19 crisis that has brought an economic downturn in the entire world, here comes the fear of another health crisis currently creating panic in China following reports on Sunday, of a suspected incident of bubonic plague.
Reports indicated that "authorities in the Chinese of Inner Mongolia" are on heightened alert following a report of an alleged case of the plague.
The illness caused the "Black Death" pandemic over hundreds of years, is said to be among the most fatal pandemics in today's history.
State-run news agency Xinhua reported the case was first found in Bayannur, northwest of Beijing. In relation to this, local officials had issued a Level 3 warning across the city to prevent the outbreak.
Level 3 is the second-lowest in the plague's four-level system. And, according to Xinhua, the said warning stays in place until the year ends.
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Cause of the Plague
Bacteria-led plague is spread through infected animals and flea bites. According to health experts, it is among the most fatal bacterial contagions in human history.
In addition, medical experts describe plague as "a zoonotic illness" impacting rodents and spread by "fleas from rodents to others," including humans and animals.
The World Health Organization said, direct transmission through person-to-person contact does not take place except in the occurrence of the so-called "pneumonic plague, when respiratory droplets" may transmit the contagion from one patient to another in close contact.
Research on medicine indicates, a plague takes place in three primary clinical forms, which include the "Bubonic plague, Septicaemic plague, and the Pneumonic plague."
Symptoms of Bubonic Plague
As mentioned earlier, bubonic plague is the form that typically "results from infected fleas' bites." Relatively, reports said, "swelling, pain and the lymph nodes' suppuration produce the distinctive plague buboes."
Being one of the three forms of plague, bubonic plague brings symptoms like swelling of painful lymph nodes. It also causes chills, fever, and coughs.
According to studies, plague results from the so-called "the Yersinia pestis bacteria." These are bacteria found in many different places all over the world.
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention said, individuals more often than not, acquire the outbreak when a flea with the plague bacteria infection bites them.
As a result, people can turn infected as well, from direct contact with fluids or infested tissues while they are handling an animal ill with, or "died from the plague."
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Human-to-Human Spread of the Plague
The plague's human-to-human transmission is possible, although it usually happens with pneumonic disease. When someone has the "plague pneumonia," he may cough droplets that contain the plague bacteria into the air.
Once another patient inhales these droplets that contain bacteria, they can then result in pneumonic plague. Human-to-human contagions are rare, and usually, they require direct contact with a person who has the pneumonic plague.
Availability of Vaccine
WHO said, a vaccine that combats bubonic plague is exclusively available for individuals who have high job-related exposure to the outbreak. It is not commercially available, though, in the majority of the countries globally.
In 2016, a report came out; three vaccines were being developed to fight the "Black Death" plague bacteria. In their new study, scientists tested the said vaccines by modifying several genes of bacteria for them not to cause disease.
However, based on the study, it would possibly activate an immune reaction in an animal. Specifically, reports said, the vaccines were devised to protect individuals from bacteria that could lead to "pneumonic plague," the most severe plague form, and the lone type that infects via "airborne transmission.
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