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 ‘Black Death’ Plague resurfaces in China

 ‘Black Death’ Plague resurfaces in China
According to a study published in 2018, rats are not solely responsible for black death. Human fleas and body lice are equally responsible.

Black Plague or the Black Death was responsible for the death of 20 crore people back in 1346. Now after 700 years, the pandemic has made a comeback in China. Read on to know what it is and how can you protect yourself from it.

Written by Paras Hemrajani |Published : November 16, 2019 7:28 PM IST

According to the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, two people in China are being treated for the plague. This is the same variant of the pneumonic plague that killed 20 crore people across Europe and Asia back in 1346. Considered as the deadliest form of plague by the World Health Organisation (WHO), this is the second time that this disease has been reported in China. Previously it was in May when a tourist Mongolian couple died from the bubonic plague. According to the state media Xinhua, the authorities have initiated control measures in Beijing's Chaoyang District. Out of two people infected by plague, one is reported to be stable, but the other's health is deteriorating.

What is plague?

Plague is a bacterial infection (bacterium Yersinia pestis), which spreads via flea bites and from other infected animals. There are three variants of the plague. One is the bubonic plague, which causes swollen lymph nodes. The septicemic plague, which infects the blood and pneumonic plague, which infiltrates the lungs.

Over the years, many antibiotics have been created to fight this disease. But the problem is that these antibiotics work only if we catch the disease early enough. Plague has made a comeback in China after 700 years. But it keeps making an appearance here and there in the world, with the maximum number of cases coming out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, and Peru. According to the WHO, these three countries are responsible for more than half of plague related deaths. WHO has categorised black death plague as a re-emerging disease.

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According to a study published in 2018, rats are not solely responsible for black death. Human fleas and body lice are equally responsible. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine to fight off he plague yet. But with antibiotics it can be fought off if administered correctly and quickly. If left untreated, the plague can rapidly cause pneumonia and high-level resistance against antibiotics, infecting lungs.

According to a report published in Springer Nature journal, researchers are very close to developing an effective vaccine for the plague. This can change a person's mechanisms of immunity, and effectively prevent a plague outbreak.

How can you protect yourself from plague?

According to the CDC, the first step of preventing plague is to remove nesting places for rodents in and around your home or workplace. Keep the recreational areas of your pet clean and remove any trash that you see in and around their sleeping area. It is important that you report if your pet is sick or dead suddenly. Do not go near a dead animal in the street. Call law enforcement agencies instead. If you are a veterinarian, then handle sick animals with gloves. Avoid sleeping with your pet and check and treat your pet regularly for fleas.