FLEAS

Plague outbreaks are most common in rural and semirural areas that are overcrowded, have poor sanitation and have a high rodent population. The greatest number of human plague infections occur in Africa, especially the African island of Madagascar. In rare occasions, plague has also been transmitted to humans in parts of Asia and South America.

The Black Death was a devastating global epidemic of bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid-1300s.  Over the next five years, the Black Death would kill more than 20 million people in Europe which is almost one-third of the continent’s population.

Known as the Black Death during medieval times, today plague occurs in fewer than 5,000 people a year worldwide. Plague, is spread by a bacillus called Yersinia pestis transmitted by fleas and cycles naturally among wild rodents.

Today, modern antibiotics are effective in treating plague. Without prompt treatment, the disease can cause serious illness or death. Presently, human plague infections continue to occur in rural areas in the western United States, but significantly more cases occur in parts of Africa and Asia.

Humans and domestic animals that are bitten by fleas from dead animals are at risk for contracting plague, especially during an epizootic. Cats usually become very ill from plague and can directly infect humans when they cough infectious droplets into the air. Dogs are less likely to be ill, but they can still bring plague-infected fleas into the home. In addition to flea bites, people can be exposed while handling skins or flesh of infected animals.