Plague
Plague is a zoonosis involving rodents and their fleas. The causative agent of plague is a bacterium, Yersinia pestis. Humans are incidental hosts and are usually infected by the bite of rodent fleas. Plague can also be acquired by direct contact with infectious materials or by inhalation of infective respiratory droplets.
Plague continues to be enzootic in wild rodent populations over large rural areas of the Americas, Africa, and Asia, with occasional outbreaks among commensal rodents in villages and small towns. The only continent free of plague is Australia including New Zealand.
Manifestations: Initial signs and symptoms of plague can be non-specific, with:
- Fever
- Chills
- Malaise
- Myalgia
- Nausea
- Prostration
- Sore throat
- Headache
Bubonic plague, the most common form, usually presents:
- painful, swollen lymph nodes (buboes)
Diagnosis and treatment: Diagnosis can be made by taking a blood test. Treatment is available. If plague patients are not given specific antibiotic treatments then the disease can progress rapidly to death. About 14% (1 in 7) of all plague cases are fatal.
Prevent plague by:
- environmental sanitation
- Do not touch rodents.
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