Bubonic plague or Black Death is a lung disease caused by bacteria Yersinia pestis.
This disease is well known for having wiped out a third of the European population in the 14th century.
Symptoms
Symptoms usually appear within 6 days of transmission of the bacteria by the infected flea.
The name of the disease is related to the symptoms it presents. In this case, buboes or blisters appear in the body with pus and blood.
After a while, buboes break up and become sores on the skin, causing tissue gangrene.
The lymph nodes also become swollen, especially in the groin and armpit region. That's because the bacteria migrate to these regions.
The other symptoms that arise are:
- High fever
- Body pain
- Headache
- Weakness
- Chills
- loss of appetite
If the disease is not treated, it can affect the system nervous causing serious health consequences and progressing to coma.
Do you want to know about the historical issues of this disease? Read too Black Plague.
Streaming
The transmission of bubonic plague occurs through mice that have fleas infected with the bacteria that cause the disease.
The bacteria is transmitted to humans through flea bites. As the disease advances and worsens, it is also transmitted by sneezing, saliva and contact with wounds in sick people.
The lack of basic sanitation and hygiene were decisive factors for the bubonic plague to spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages.
Treatment
In the past, bubonic plague could kill within 7 days. However, nowadays the disease hardly leads to death.
Treatment is based on the use of antibiotics and isolation from the sick person, as the disease can be transmitted to other people.
Read too:
- Diseases caused by bacteria
- World Health Day
Curiosities
- The bubonic plague is not in the past and still affects people all over the world today. Recent cases of endemic diseases have been reported in Madagascar, Congo and Peru.
- In Brazil, in 2017, the state of Ceará notified some outbreaks of bubonic plague, leaving it in a state of alert. However, no cases of the disease were registered.
- In 2013, 126 deaths from black death were reported worldwide.
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