The plague, also known as the Black Death or the Great Plague, is rarely contracted today, but a South Lake Tahoe resident recently contracted it. But before you put it on Air purifying beak mask, 17th century.Let's find out from the experts why this disease still exists and how dangerous it is now.
Most people associate the term “plague” with the massive and devastating event that killed 25 million Europeans in the Middle Ages, says Professor John Schwartzberg of the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. In the 14th century, the plague claimed lives as much as 50% population of Europe.
“The plague is indeed a specific disease that… in our human history [reared] his ugly head is what caused the massive death toll,” said Schwartzberg, who works in the university’s department of infectious diseases and vaccinology.
It may be a threat of the past, but it is still a very serious disease with a small number of cases reported each year.
In the recent case of a South Lake Tahoe man, it is believed that the person contracted a rare disease after being bitten by an infected flea while camping in the area, according to El Dorado County health officials.
The most recent case before this was reported in El Dorado County in 2020 and is also believed to have been transmitted in the same area, officials said. Two cases of plague reported reported in California in 2015believed to be caused by bites from an infected flea or rodent in Yosemite National Park.
Although medical advances have made this deadly disease curable, it is not eliminated.
Get infected with the plague even today
Plague is caused by bacteria Yersinia pestis and primarily affects small animals and rodents in the United States, Schwartzberg said.
There are three types of plague:
- bubonic plague with characteristic enlargement of lymph nodes;
- septicemic plague, when the infection spreads throughout the body;
- pneumonic plague, which attacks the lungs.
It can be transmitted to people and pets from the bite of an infected flea or from close contact with or exposure to an infected rodent.
The plague was brought to the U.S. in the early 20th century from rat-infested steamships arriving in California from Asia, with the first case identified in the San Francisco area, Schwartzberg said.
To date, the last known case of rat-related plague occurred in Los Angeles in the 1920s, according to county health officials.
Today, the main source of plague in Los Angeles County is wild rodents in rural areas.
Most people who contract plague do so while hiking or camping in these areas and are unknowingly bitten by an infected flea, said Ashok Chopra, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
Animals live in much greater concentrations in rural areas, where they are in close proximity to other creatures and habitats, making it easier for bacteria to thrive, Schwartzberg said.
Woodland creatures that may carry the disease and should be avoided include chipmunks, woodrats, mice and groundhogs.
Where can you get the plague in Southern California?
In California, health officials say the plague is found in the foothills, plateaus, mountains and along the coast. It is virtually absent from the southeastern desert region and the Central Valley.
The potential for exposure exists throughout Los Angeles County, but the areas where the risk is highest are rural recreation areas and wildlife areas of the Angeles National Forest and the San Gabriel Mountains, county officials said.
According to the WHO, people and their pets can become infected with plague if they visit or live in areas where wild rodents are naturally infected. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. People who live in close contact with rats are also at greater risk of infection from potentially infected rodents.
It's not uncommon for dogs and cats to get fleas because pets do get fleas. An infected flea, while rare, can infect pets that are vulnerable to the disease, Chopra said.
Why did the plague take hold?
The United States has only eradicated one human infectious disease, smallpox, and it did so through vaccination, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are several vaccine candidates to protect against plague, but there are currently no Food and Drug Administration-approved shots against the disease, Chopra said.
“We don’t know how to eradicate infection in a mammalian population that is spread by vectors like fleas,” Schwartzberg said, “so I don’t see how we can eradicate it at this point in our history.”
But the plague is not a top priority for infectious disease experts or public health officials because it is under control.
“Elimination means that the infection has disappeared from a specific geographic area and there is no localized transmission,” Schwartzberg added, “so we have largely eliminated the plague as a serious problem.”
So how worried should we be? According to experts, if we get treatment in a timely manner, there is nothing to fear.
According to Chopra, plague can be treated with antibiotics, but if left untreated, it can be fatal.
“If the infection is too large,” he said, “then the bacteria can spread into the bloodstream quite quickly, and that’s when it becomes very dangerous.”
Times writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.
