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The shocking transmission of pneumonic plague: How did this deadly disease spread so quickly from person to person?
Pneumonic plague is a severe lung infection caused by Yersinia pestis. Its main symptoms include fever, headache, shortness of breath, chest pain and cough. These symptoms usually appear within three to seven days after exposure. Pneumonic plague is one of three forms of plague, the others being septicemic plague and bubonic plague. Pneumonic plague can develop after an initial bubonic or septicemic plague infection, or it can be spread by breathing airborne droplets from other infected people or animals.
Pneumonic plague is not limited to infected animals or their fleas; in fact, the disease can be passed directly from one patient to another.
The symptoms of pneumonic plague are very obvious, the most prominent of which include coughing, often accompanied by hemoptysis (coughing up blood). Initial symptoms usually include fever, headache, weakness, and rapidly developing pneumonia, followed by shortness of breath, chest pain, and sometimes bloody or watery phlegm. Pneumonia worsens over two to four days and may lead to respiratory failure and shock, and if not treated early, the patient may die within 36 hours.
There are two main causes of pneumonic plague: one is mainly caused by inhalation of aerosolized plague bacteria, and the other is caused by septicemic plague spreading from the bloodstream to the lungs. It is important to note that the mode of transmission of pneumonic plague allows it to spread rapidly during epidemics, and in some cases, contact with infected animals or examination of their tissues may also lead to infection.
Pneumonic plague had a very high mortality rate. Without early intervention, the mortality rate can reach 100% without treatment.
The key to treating pneumonic plague is early treatment. You should receive antibiotics such as diamond powder within 24 hours of the first symptoms. This is a powerful measure to reduce the risk of death. Currently, vaccines are not widely available in many countries, so preventive measures include avoiding contact with infected people and isolating patients at all times. In addition, wearing a good-fitting surgical mask can also help protect those around you from infection.
According to the World Health Organization, seven plague epidemics have occurred in multiple countries since 2002, especially in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Between 1998 and 2009, nearly 24,000 cases were reported, and about 2,000 people died from the disease.
Overview of modern epidemics
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Two epidemics occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2005 and 2006. The 2005 epidemic was detected through retrospective blood samples, with a total death toll of 111.
India
In September 1994, an outbreak in India resulted in 50 deaths from plague and resulted in the suspension of air travel to New Delhi until the outbreak was brought under control.
China
Between 1910 and 1911, an epidemic of pneumonic plague in Manchuria, China, killed approximately 60,000 people. Although China has largely eliminated pneumonic plague, there are still sporadic cases in some remote areas.
Peru
In August 2010, an outbreak in Peru killed a 14-year-old boy and infected at least 31 people, four of which were pneumonic plague.
Madagascar
In November 2013, plague broke out in Madagascar. As of December 16, at least 89 people were infected and 39 died, at least two of which were pneumonic plague.
United States
In 1924, a plague epidemic occurred in Los Angeles, killing 30 people. In 2007, a park conservation biologist died of pneumonic plague in Grand Canyon National Park.
The history of pneumonic plague tells us that if this deadly disease is not properly controlled, it may pose a huge threat to mankind. With so much travel and trade around the world, how can diseases like this creep back into our lives?
