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The Black Death in the 14th century was both devastating and catastrophic killing millions. My question is if we had it today would all our tech and medical knowledge be able to keep it from breaking out or do you think it would be just as bad?
Not as bad. There was an outbreak on an Indian reservation in the US in the 90s, and it was contained and limited to about a dozen deaths.
There were three related diseases considered to be plague. The airborn disease would test us even now as people go from no symptoms to dead in a matter of hours. The other two seem rather survivable provided you are relatively well fed and have someone to tend to you with an idea about sanitation. Early modern Europe was not the most sanitary place to begin with and as most people immediately tried to flea a plague struck area you were pretty much on your own for keeping your wounds clean, getting food and water, and so on.
Additionally, we know now that some people with European heritage have immunity to it due to centuries of plague, and most people don't have fleas so transmission is pretty much limited to onky the airborn virus.
Not as bad. There was an outbreak on an Indian reservation in the US in the 90s, and it was contained and limited to about a dozen deaths.
There were three related diseases considered to be plague. The airborn disease would test us even now as people go from no symptoms to dead in a matter of hours. The other two seem rather survivable provided you are relatively well fed and have someone to tend to you with an idea about sanitation. Early modern Europe was not the most sanitary place to begin with and as most people immediately tried to flea a plague struck area you were pretty much on your own for keeping your wounds clean, getting food and water, and so on.
Additionally, we know now that some people with European heritage have immunity to it due to centuries of plague, and most people don't have fleas so transmission is pretty much limited to onky the airborn virus.
There's a vaccine for plague, and it can be treated with antibiotics, too.
I'm not a doctor or public health expert but as I understand it the plague is somewhat common in some areas of the world. There are several cases of bubonic plague and pneumonic plague every year or so in New Mexico and Colorado and it doesn't get much attention and it doesn't get out of hand. There is a vaccine available and it is a bacterial disease that responds to early treatment. That being said, if a serious outbreak happened during a religious pilgrimage like the Hajj or hit a large population of compromised people as in a large refugee camp in Africa or Asia AND got out of hand it could be a problem in that region but probably not globally as it was in middle ages. I'd be more concerned about a viral disease spreading on a global basis.
From my understanding, Black Death is a bacterial infection, and thus, I would think, easily treatable with anti-biotics.
I am no doctor (god, I barely go to doctors) but from my understanding, disease tend to crowd each other out like predators in the wild, each finding a sort of niche, and anti-bodies developed to fight one can actually fight others. Apparently, whites and Asians have increased AIDS immunity because of exposure to black death. So in some sense, having and outbreak of a treatable disease such as this could be beneficial, as it might crowd out things that are worse and help build up antibodies.
The "Black Death" as well as several other plagues have been traced to the Yersinia pestis bacteria. The bacteria is most commonly carried in "hosts" such as rats and is then transmitted to people through fleas or other insects that bite the infected rats and then people. Once the infection has taken hold in humans it takes three forms: 1. Bubonic is contained solely within the infected person. 2. Septicaemic is bubonic plague that has infected the bloodstream and can be spread from person-to-person via contact with infected bodily fluids. 3. Pneumonic is the most lethal and contagious and can be spread by coughing and inhalation.
Three things make people in the developed world rather safe from plague:
1. Modern pest control methods keeps the rat and insect population under control, especially in populated areas. When's the last time you saw a rat or were bitten by a flea? Both would have been daily occurrences in the Middle Ages.
2. Modern sanitation and protective protocols help to control the spread of disease. Just the simple fact that we have indoor plumbing, sewage treatment, wash our hands with clean water, bathe regularly, clean our homes with disenfectant, etc. goes a loooong way to preventing the spread of disease. If disease is contracted, we are able to protect ourselves from catching it while caring for those who are ill using simple things like gloves, masks and of course, washing our hands and bathing.
3. Antibiotics are able to effectively treat plague. While it requires the most powerful ones we have and needs to be administered within 24 hours of symptoms appearing, antibiotics can "cure" an individual of the plague. Further, they can also be given prophylactically to prevent the spead. The only issue with that is the problem of possibly creating an anti-biotic resistant strain.
There is no vaccine that is effective against all of the various strains. While there was one briefly on the market it's effectiveness was questioned and had several side effects.
There are plenty of cases of bubonic plague these days, but almost none of them are in the developed world and 90% of them are in Africa. Currently Madagascar has been battling an outbreak for some time:
Well-said, NJGoat. To that, may I just add that the plague bacteria is present in the United States -- right here, right now. The reason it doesn't constitute a threat is simple -- our current hygiene and public health standards make it very, very difficult for it to jump to humans from its animal hosts, and almost impossible for it to reach epidemic proportions.
While cases of plague in humans do occur in the United States every year, they're quickly identified, contained and treated.
Not as bad. There was an outbreak on an Indian reservation in the US in the 90s, and it was contained and limited to about a dozen deaths.
There were three related diseases considered to be plague. The airborn disease would test us even now as people go from no symptoms to dead in a matter of hours. The other two seem rather survivable provided you are relatively well fed and have someone to tend to you with an idea about sanitation. Early modern Europe was not the most sanitary place to begin with and as most people immediately tried to flea a plague struck area you were pretty much on your own for keeping your wounds clean, getting food and water, and so on.
Additionally, we know now that some people with European heritage have immunity to it due to centuries of plague, and most people don't have fleas so transmission is pretty much limited to onky the airborn virus.
The airborn disease would test us even now as people go from no symptoms to dead in a matter of hours.
Um, a few people who are infected with Pneumonic Plague can go from symptom-free to death in 36-48 hours; not most/all of those infected as you implied.
The three forms of plague -- Bubonic, Septicemic and Pneumonic -- are NOT viral. They are caused by the Yersinia Pestis bacteria.
Last edited by Nighteyes; 02-01-2015 at 12:48 PM..
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