The Conversation A person in Arizona has died from the plague, local health officials reported on Friday.
This marks the first such death in this region in 18 years. But it’s a stark reminder that this historic disease, though rare nowadays, is not just a disease of the past.
So what actually is “plague”? And is it any cause for concern in Australia? There are 3 types of ‘plague’
The word “plague” is often used to refer to any major disease epidemic or pandemic, or even to other undesirable events, such as a mouse plague. Naturally, the word can evoke fear.
But scientifically speaking, plague is a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.
Plague has three main forms: bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic. Bubonic is the most common and is named after “buboes”, which are the painful, swollen lymph nodes the infection causes. Other symptoms include fever, headache, chills and weakness.
Bubonic plague is typically spread by fleas living on animals such as rats, prairie dogs and marmots. If an infected flea moves from their animal host to bite a human, this can cause an infection.
People can also become infected through handling an animal infected with the disease.
Septicemic plague occurs if bubonic plague is left untreated, or it can occur directly if the disease enters the bloodstream. Septicemic plague causes bleeding into the organs. The name comes from septicemia, which refers to a serious blood infection.