An outbreak of the Bubonic plague in China has led to worry that the Black Death could make a return. Experts say the disease isn’t nearly as deadly as it was, thanks to antibiotics.
Plague, one of the deadliest bacterial infections in human history, caused an estimated 50 million deaths in Europe during the Middle Ages when it was known as the Black Death. Health authorities in China have identified a new case of the Bubonic plague, the disease that triggered the “Black Death” pandemic back in the mid-1300s.
The new case, which was confirmed on July 5, was found in a herdsman living in the northern city of Bayannur. Local health authorities issued a third-level alert, advising people to avoid hunting, eating, or transporting animals that may potentially carry the disease.
The plague diagnosis comes months after the Chinese government announced 3 people had contracted pneumonic plague in the country late last year. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be frightening to imagine another disease spreading across the globe, especially one as infamous as the bubonic plague. But, fortunately, we’re in the clear.
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Unlike COVID-19, we have clear treatments for the Bubonic plague. Additionally, the disease is rare with a few cases every year found in the United States. This means there’s pretty much no chance we’d ever see a pandemic play out like the one in the 14th century.
“Unlike in the 14th century, we now have an understanding of how this disease is transmitted,” Dr. Shanthi Kappagoda, an infectious disease physician at Stanford Health Care, told Healthline in an interview.
“We know how to prevent it, avoid handling sick or dead animals in areas where there is transmission,” she said. “We are also able to treat patients who are infected with effective antibiotics, and can give antibiotics to people who may have been exposed to the bacteria and prevent them from getting sick.”
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