Plague
Fact Sheet PDF 34 KB
Plague is a disease that primarily affects animals, such as rodents and
rabbits, but can occur in humans. It is caused by bacteria called Yersinia
pestis. There are three different types of plague in humans: bubonic
(infection in a lymph node), septicemic (infection in the blood stream), or
pneumonic (infection in the lungs).
Bubonic plague is most common and occurs after a bite from an infected flea.
Rare cases of infection can also occur through direct contact with tissues
and fluids of infected rodents or other animals. Septicemic plague occurs
usually as a complication of bubonic plague, but it may also result from direct
contact with infectious materials or the bite of an infected flea.
If left untreated, bubonic and septicemic plague can lead to pneumonic
plague, where the bacteria have infected the lungs. In some rare instances
pneumonic plague can be contracted by inhalation of respiratory droplets
from infected humans or animals.
Plague is found in many countries across the world. In the United States,
plague has most often been reported throughout the west with the majority of
cases occurring in New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Colorado.
Plague cases usually occur more frequently during summers that follow mild
winters and wet springs. These weather conditions help increase vegetation
and rodent populations, both of which are very important for plague
activity.
Vaccinations against plague are not available in the U.S. but are available
in some other countries.
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