Passport Health logo
Vaccinations|Find a Travel Clinic|Advice
  • Home
    • About
        • Company History
        • Careers
        • Executive Team
        • Contact Us
        • Customer Feedback
        • FAQ
        • Mission Statement
        • Privacy Policy
        • Blog
    • Close
  • Destination Advice
    • Top Destinations
        • Brazil
        • China
        • Costa Rica
        • India
        • Kenya
        • Peru
        • Philippines
        • South Africa
        • Thailand
        • Vietnam
    • Destination Advice
        • Tips and recommendations for healthy travel to any destination:

          • Afghanistan
          • Albania
          • Algeria
          • American Samoa
          • Andorra
          • Angola
          • Anguilla
          • Antarctica
          • Antigua and Barbuda
          • Argentina
          • Armenia
          • Aruba
          • Australia
          • Austria
          • Azerbaijan
          • Azores
          • Bahamas
          • Bahrain
          • Balearics
          • Bangladesh
          • Barbados
          • Belarus
          • Belgium
          • Belize
          • Benin
          • Bhutan
          • Bolivia
          • Bonaire
          • Bora Bora
          • Bosnia
          • Botswana
          • Brazil
          • British Virgin Islands
          • Brunei
          • Bulgaria
          • Burkina Faso
          • Burma
          • Burundi
          • Cambodia
          • Cameroon
          • Canada
          • Canary Islands
          • Cape Verde
          • Cayman Islands
          • Central African Republic
          • Chad
          • Chile
          • China
          • Christmas Island
          • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
          • Colombia
          • Comoros
          • Cook Islands
          • Costa Rica
          • Cote d'Ivoire
          • Croatia
          • Cuba
          • Curacao
          • Cyprus
          • Czechia
          • Democratic Republic of the Congo
          • Denmark
          • Djibouti
          • Dominica
          • Dominican Republic
          • East Timor
          • Easter Island
          • Ecuador
          • Egypt
          • El Salvador
          • Equatorial Guinea
          • Eritrea
          • Estonia
          • Ethiopia
          • Falkland Islands
          • Faroe Islands
          • Fiji
          • Finland
          • France
          • French Guiana
          • French Polynesia
          • Gabon
          • Gambia
          • Georgia
          • Germany
          • Ghana
          • Gibraltar
          • Greece
          • Greenland
          • Grenada
          • Guadeloupe
          • Guam
          • Guatemala
          • Guinea-Bissau
          • Guinea
          • Guyana
          • Haiti
          • Hawaii
          • Honduras
          • Hong Kong
          • Hungary
          • Ibiza
          • Iceland
          • India
          • Indonesia
          • Iran
          • Iraq
          • Ireland
          • Israel
          • Italy
          • Jamaica
          • Japan
          • Jordan
          • Kazakhstan
          • Kenya
          • Kiribati
          • Kosovo
          • Kuwait
          • Kyrgyzstan
          • Laos
          • Latvia
          • Lebanon
          • Lesotho
          • Liberia
          • Libya
          • Liechtenstein
          • Lithuania
          • Luxembourg
          • Macau
          • Macedonia
          • Madagascar
          • Madeira Islands
          • Malawi
          • Malaysia
          • Maldives
          • Mali
          • Malta
          • Marshall Islands
          • Martinique
          • Mauritania
          • Mauritius
          • Mayotte
          • Mexico
          • Micronesia
          • Moldova
          • Monaco
          • Mongolia
          • Montenegro
          • Montserrat
          • Morocco
          • Mozambique
          • Namibia
          • Nauru
          • Nepal
          • Netherlands
          • New Caledonia
          • New Zealand
          • Nicaragua
          • Niger
          • Nigeria
          • Niue
          • Norfolk Island
          • North Korea
          • Northern Mariana Islands
          • Norway
          • Oman
          • Pakistan
          • Palau
          • Palestinian Territories
          • Panama
          • Papua New Guinea
          • Paraguay
          • Peru
          • Philippines
          • Pitcairn Islands
          • Poland
          • Portugal
          • Puerto Rico
          • Qatar
          • Republic of the Congo
          • RĂ©union
          • Romania
          • Russia
          • Rwanda
          • Saba
          • St. Barthelemy
          • Saint Helena
          • St. Kitts and Nevis
          • St. Lucia
          • Saint Martin
          • St. Pierre-et-Miquelon
          • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
          • Samoa
          • San Marino
          • Sao Tome and Principe
          • Saudi Arabia
          • Senegal
          • Serbia
          • Seychelles
          • Sierra Leone
          • Singapore
          • Sint Eustatius
          • Slovakia
          • Slovenia
          • Solomon Islands
          • Somalia
          • South Africa
          • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
          • South Korea
          • South Sudan
          • Spain
          • Sri Lanka
          • Sudan
          • Suriname
          • Swaziland
          • Sweden
          • Switzerland
          • Syria
          • Tahiti
          • Taiwan
          • Tajikistan
          • Tanzania
          • Thailand
          • Togo
          • Tokelau
          • Tonga
          • Trinidad and Tobago
          • Tunisia
          • Turkey
          • Turkmenistan
          • Turks and Caicos Islands
          • Tuvalu
          • U.S. Virgin Islands
          • Uganda
          • Ukraine
          • United Arab Emirates
          • United Kingdom
          • United States
          • Uruguay
          • Uzbekistan
          • Vanuatu
          • Vatican
          • Venezuela
          • Vietnam
          • Wake Island
          • Western Sahara
          • Yemen
          • Zambia
          • Zimbabwe
    • Close
  • Travel Medicine
    • Travel Medical Services
        • Vaccines for Travel
        • Travel Health Consulting
        • Travellers’ Diarrhea Kits
        • Dengue Fever Prevention
        • Malaria Medication
        • Chikungunya Prevention
        • Zika Virus Prevention
        • Ebola Virus
        • Coronavirus
        • Travel Health Alerts
    • Additional Travel Services
      • Physician Referral Program
    • Close
  • Vaccinations
    • Overview
        • Chickenpox
        • Cholera (Dukoral)
        • Hepatitis A
        • Hepatitis B
        • Hep A/Typhoid Combo (Vivaxim)
        • Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
        • Japanese Encephalitis
        • Malaria Information
        • Measles – Mumps – Rubella (MMR)
        • Meningitis
        • Pneumonia
        • Polio
        • Rabies
        • Shingles
        • Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis
        • Typhoid
        • Yellow Fever
        • Drug Identification Numbers (DIN)
    • Influenza (The Flu)
        • Learn more about your flu vaccine options
          • For most individuals
          • For seniors over 65 years
    • Routine Tests
      • TB Tests
      • Routine Vaccinations
        • Overview
    • Close
  • Employer Solutions
    • Overview
      • Travel Medicine & Vaccinations
      • Onsite Flu Clinics
      • Retirement Community Flu Program
      • Onsite Vaccination Clinics
      • Biometric Screenings
      • Vaccine Credentialing
    • Close
  • Locations
        • Ontario

          Barrie Travel Clinic

          Brampton Travel Clinic

          Carlington - Ottawa Travel Clinic

          Etobicoke Travel Clinic

          Kitchener Travel Clinic

          London Travel Clinic

          Markham Travel Clinic

          Mississauga Travel Clinic

          Oakville Travel Clinic

          Richmond Hill Travel Clinic

          St. Catharines Travel Clinic

          Toronto Travel Clinic

          Whitby Travel Clinic

          Yorkville Travel Clinic

        • Alberta

          Chinook - Calgary Travel Clinic

          Downtown Calgary Travel Clinic

          Downtown Edmonton Travel Clinic

        • British Columbia

          Burnaby Travel Clinic

          Downtown Vancouver Travel Clinic

          North Vancouver Travel Clinic

          Surrey Travel Clinic

        • Quebec

          Downtown Montreal Travel Clinic

          Laval Travel Clinic

          Québec City Travel Clinic

          Westmount Travel Clinic

    • Close

Why You Shouldn’t Worry (Too Much) About the Bubonic Plague

August 13, 2020 By Will Sowards

Bubonic Plague

In recent years, a disease most commonly associated with history textbooks has been making the news in various regions throughout the world. The bubonic plague, or ‘Black Death’ as it may have been called in your history class, has killed individuals in North America and throughout the world at an increased rate from previous years.

Luckily, in modern times, better protection can come from an increased understanding of the disease that killed as much as 60 percent of Europe’s population in the 14th century.

The bubonic plague is one of three bacterial diseases caused by Yersinia pestis. The other two forms of plague are septicemic, which infects the blood, and pneumonic, which infects the lungs. Pneumonic plague can be transmitted from person to person. Of the three, the bubonic plague is the one that infects the lymph nodes.

Despite recent headlines, the severe and potentially deadly disease primarily affects wild rodents, such as rats, squirrels, chipmunks and prairie dogs. It is passed from rodent to rodent via fleas. When humans contract the disease, which is fairly rare, it is usually from the bite of an infected flea. Painful swelling of the lymph nodes, called buboes, develops.

The buboes, which give the bubonic plague its name, are commonly found in the groin area but can appear in the armpits or neck as well. They usually occur at the site of the bite or scratch. Before the swelling occurs, pain may occur around the area of the bite.

Symptoms of the bubonic plague usually occur two to five days after exposure. They include:

  • Chills
  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Muscle pain
  • Seizures
  • Bubo (smooth, painful lymph gland swelling)

There is no vaccine for the plague; however, if treated early, it can be cured with antibiotics. If untreated, the bubonic plague kills 50% of those it infects. Treatment should begin within 24 hours of the first signs of symptoms because of the high mortality rate during this time frame. In fact, early intervention is the best option for treating and preventing the spread of the disease.

Today, the plague is very rare but can be found in Africa, Asia, South America, and parts of the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the most recent cases have affected residents in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah. Two of the cases have been traced back to exposure in or near Yosemite National Park. Just recently, a case of the plague was confirmed in Michigan on September 14th. In August, an elderly resident of Utah died from the disease, and two other people have come down with the plague in Colorado this year. The Michigan case was the 14th reported case of bubonic plague in 2015, which is three times higher than the three cases reported for the whole of 2014.

Madagascar has reported cases of the plague annually since the 1990s. The Ministry of Health of Madagascar has notified the WHO of the recent outbreak of the plague that began with a case on August 17th. As of August 30th, a total of 14 cases, 10 of which resulted in death, were reported. Although cases of the plague usually affect urban, crowded areas, the first case happened in a rural township in Moramanga district. Since August 27th, no new cases have been reported in the affected area or nearby districts.

While traveling, some practical ways of preventing the disease are wearing long pants and using insect repellent. Such precautions are especially important in regions where the disease is prevalent.

To learn more about other potential travel infections and what you can do to prevent them, see our Travel Medicine portal.

Have you come in contact with the bubonic plague? Tell us about your experience, on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments below.

Filed Under: General Posts

About Us

Passport Health's blog provides travelers and travel enthusiasts with a variety of news and features. We focus on bringing the most interesting and relevant stories right to our readers. Topics range from the vaccines needed for a destination to updates on recent outbreaks, travel advice and much more. Feel free to check out some of our most popular posts, linked in the sidebar, or our most recent posts below
Stay Updated! Sign up to receive email updates from our blog.

Recent Blog Posts

  • How Does Measles Spread? A New Study Gives Answers
  • The Necessary and Unfortunate Identity of “Patient Zero”
  • What Was The Plague of Justinian? How A Single Outbreak Killed 10% Of The World’s Population.
  • Tips To Stay Safe While Traveling Alone

Blog Archives

  • About Us
  • Clinical Trials
  • Contact Us
  • PIPEDA Policy and Consent Form
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Sitemap
Schedule Your Appointment:
Questions? Please call or E-mail Us

Connect With Us:

Passport Health Canada on Facebook
Passport Health on Twitter
Passport Health on YouTube
Passport Health on Instagram
Passport Health on Linked In
Passport Health Feed

Passport Health is an Outlier business Passport Health es una empresa que pertenece al grupo OutlierPassport Health est une entreprise du groupe Outlier Copyright © 2021

This website or its third-party tools use cookies to improve functionality and performance. By continuing to browse this site, you are consenting to the use of cookies illustrated in our cookie policy.Accept