Bubonic Plague (Black Death): Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

GS Paper III Science and Technology

Context:

Bubonic Plague

Recently, A confirmed case of Bubonic plague was reported in Oregon, USA.

It is a severe bacterial infection caused by a Yersinia pestis, a Zoonotic bacteria (that can spread between animals & people) which is usually found in small mammals and their fleas.
Name Derived – from the Swollen lymph nodes (buboes), that it induces.
Ways of Transmission (According to WHO):
- The Bite of infected Vector Fleas,
- Unprotected Contact with infectious bodily fluids or contaminated materials (like bitten by an infected rat) and
- The Inhalation of Respiratory droplets/small particles from patients with pneumonic plague.
Incubation Period: 2 to 8 days.
Symptoms:
- Swollen lumps in the lymph nodes.
Birth to Other Serious Diseases: Respiratory Failure, Gangrene, Meningitis, Sepsis
Fatality Rate: 30% to 60%
Treatment:
- It can be effectively treated and cured using antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, Gentamicin, and Doxycycline.
- Without treatment, it can result in fatality.
Current Endemic Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Peru.

Worldwide Cases: The WHO reports between 1,000 to 2,000 cases of plague annually.
Global Distribution: Cases in Africa, Asia, South America, and certain regions of North America. However, since the 1990s, most cases have been reported in Africa.

The Plague of Justinian (541-542): Originating in the Byzantine Empire, this pandemic persisted in waves until the middle of the 8th century.
The Black Death (1346-1353): This devastating pandemic claimed the lives of at least one-third of Europe’s population, recurring until the 19th century.
The Third Plague Pandemic (1855 onwards): Originating in Yunnan, China, this bubonic plague pandemic spread globally, resulting in over 12 million deaths in India and China alone.

First Reported Case: on 23 September 1896 at Bombay. This marked the onset of the disease during the third plague pandemic, originating from China in 1855.
Spread and Transmission: The disease rapidly disseminated in India primarily through trading ships, affecting major port cities like Calcutta, Karachi, Punjab, and the United Provinces etc.
Human Toll: Over 12 million Indians were estimated to have succumbed to this disease.
Legal Response: Drafting of the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897.
- This legislation empowered authorities with the ability to enforce special measures and regulations to address dangerous epidemic diseases.
1994 plague Outbreak in India (26 August to 18 October 1994): marked an outbreak of bubonic and pneumonic plague across south-central and western regions.
- Around 693 suspected cases and 56 deaths were reported in 5 States across India including Delhi.

Also Read:

News Source: Indian Express

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