NYT It is not just a scourge of the Middle Ages. Plague still exists, though it is rare. Here’s what to look for and how to protect yourself. Health officials in the Sierra Nevada region of California announced this week that a local resident tested positive for plague, an extremely rare bacterial infection usually transmitted through flea bites.
The case is still under investigation, but the officials believe the person, who is now recovering at home, may have been bitten while camping in South Lake Tahoe. Plague can be treated with antibiotics if it is caught early, but can otherwise become very serious. Plague still exists?
It does. Most people think of plague as the “Black Death,” a medieval pandemic that might have killed tens of millions of people in Europe. But the plague bacteria has survived through the centuries by circulating among certain rodents and fleas that serve as long-term reservoirs, making it nearly impossible to eradicate.