The plague, a rare bacterial infection known to have killed tens of millions of people in Europe in the 14th century, never left. It is now easily treated with antibiotics.
Since the 1990s, most human cases have been reported in Africa, notably Congo and Madagascar, according to the World Health Organization.
There are on average about seven human cases per year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionprimarily in rural areas of the American West.
A worker at a plague research institute in Siberia recently died of pneumonia. The case raised the alarm in Russia after unconfirmed media reports suggested she may have died of pneumonic plague. Russian authorities say tests have shown no evidence of plague, but the research institute has been quarantined.
“People think the plague is gone, it’s something that happened 500 years ago. That’s not the case. It’s here among us,” said Simon Clarke of the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.
Surprised to learn the plague is still here? Here’s what you need to know.
Plague can attack the lymph nodes, lungs and blood
In Siberia, people have been dying from plague for at least 5,500 years. The first evidence of a form of the disease was found in the teeth of ancient hunter-gatherers north of Lake Baikal in the region.
Pneumonic plague and the better-known bubonic plague, also called the Black Death, are caused by the same bacteria, called Yersinia pestis.
The bacteria spreads naturally among rodents like prairie dogs and rats. Fleas that jump from infected animals and bite people can spread the disease.
Bubonic plague is the most common form of infection. It causes painful swelling of lymph nodes most commonly found in the groin, armpits, and neck, called buboes. Other symptoms include high fever and sudden chills, headache and pain in the abdomen, legs and arms, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
There are two other forms of plague: pneumonic plague, which can be caused by inhaling the bacteria, infects the lungs, while septicemic plague is an infection of the bloodstream. Both are fatal if not treated early, according to the World Health Organization.
Bubonic plague often progresses to the other two forms of plague if left untreated.
Plague can be spread by fleas or bodily fluids
Besides bites from infected fleas, people can also contract the plague by touching infected bodily fluids. Health experts therefore recommend taking extra care when handling dead or sick animals.
Plague can also be spread through respiratory droplets from a person with pneumonic plague.
“If you cough, you can spread it to another person, but it doesn’t go very far,” said Dr. Glenn Wortmann of MedStar Washington Hospital Center. “So you really have to be in face-to-face contact with that person to contract pneumonic plague.”
That’s why “there will be no chance of this spreading widely in Russia and then spreading to the United States,” he said.
Antibiotics can treat plague
The plague has never been eradicated, but we have managed to prevent its spread and treat it in humans.
When treated early with antibiotics, plague can be cured. The key is to seek medical attention quickly, otherwise the plague can be fatal.
There is a vaccine, but the WHO only recommends it for people at high risk of infection, such as laboratory and healthcare workers. There is no solid evidence that vaccines can work against the pneumonic form.
There is no plague vaccine in the United States
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AP video journalist Javier Arciga contributed to this story from San Diego.
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