CATCH YOUR DEATH Medieval disease that once killed a third of Europe is found in US state after patient bitten by infected flea by lake

[Hol]

A POSITIVE case of bubonic plague - the same illness that killed over 20 million people in Europe during the 1300s - was just reported in the US.

An infected flea most likely gave the patient the medieval sickness.

The California Department of Public Health reported that a South Lake Tahoe resident had tested positive after camping in the area.

The case is the first since 2020 in El Dorado County.

County officials said that the patient was at home recovering under the supervision of a medical professional.

Known as The Black Death, the bubonic plague epidemic is considered one of the most devastating events in history.

Medieval disease found in US state after patient bitten by infected flea

A POSITIVE case of bubonic plague – the same illness that killed over 20 million people in Europe during the 1300s – was just reported in the US. An infected flea most likely gave the p…

www.the-sun.com

 

[Tall Timbers]

How is bubonic plague treated?​

The bubonic plague can be treated and cured with antibiotics. If you are diagnosed with bubonic plague, you’ll be hospitalized and given antibiotics. In some cases, you may be put into an isolation unit.

Antibiotics that treat bubonic plague include:

• Ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin.
• Gentamicin.
• Doxycycline

Bubonic Plague (Black Death): What Is It, Symptoms, Treatment

Bubonic plague, a potentially fatal infection spread mainly by fleas, still exists. Antibiotics can treat this form of the plague.

my.clevelandclinic.org

 

[Margery]

It popped up in Denver Colorado a few years back.

It is still around, although it might have caught California by surprise.

There's something kind of interesting about these historical diseases. I was blessed to work in a tiny Catholic mission hospital in Vancouver in my second job after training. I nursed Tuberculosis AND Typhoid Fever! Most nurses never see either, although TB is making a comeback.

Back in the day when we were serious about infection control and gowning and gloving up with cloth gowns and masks although disposable gloves were already in use. That little hospital was owned by the govt and still run by the nuns who were a frugal bunch.

Consequently I also had the pleasure of using good quality autoclaved dressing trays that weren't full of plastic trash and instruments that didn't work. The old glass IV bottles instead of those plastic bags!

Ahhhhh lovely memories.

George and I started dating, got engaged and married while I was working there.

Thanks for a Bubonic plague moment from the bottom of my nurses heart. I may be retired, you can take the old bat out of the hospital, but you can't take the hospital out of the old bat's heart!

I still get interested to see a historical virus reemerge. (no I'm not cheering on the plague to come get us, but call it professional interest)

 

[Andy C]

Quick search shows about 7 cases average annually in the USA, about 1500 worldwide

 

[dwb]

If an area is not kept clean and free of trash and debris the rats will come. Rats live in the filth and get infected, fleas gets on rats and then pass to humans. Some of the pictures I have seen recently of some areas of California are disgusting. Make sure your dogs and cats are flea protected. That may help.

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Having a cat(s) helps. There are documented cases in Europe where the cats were hunted down because people thought they were spreading the plague, and afterwards the rodent population exploded and then the plague was spread by the fleas on the rats

Military in RDF units and probably everyone that deployed, have been vaccinated against plague. Unfortunately, immunity doesn't last very long. IIRC, the shot was every three years. The last one I got was a series of daily pills.

 

[Andiamo]

Cipro is horrible, can’t believe its still prescribed

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Cipro is horrible, can’t believe its still prescribed

Sometimes it's the best choice for a specific pathogen, or the last choice for something resistant. After all the anthrax stuff, the military and VA were awash in it, so they used it for stuff they wouldn't ordinarily have (and shouldn't have)

Levoquin is terrible, too. I started getting the (allegedly rare) tendon damage. Fortunately, my VA doc had warned me to stop immediately if I had any tendon pain and contact her. We switched to a much milder antibiotic that worked fine.

Cipro and Levoquin are in the same family of antibiotics (floxacins). They're broad-spectrum, so they work against a wide variety of bacteria.

I'm allergic to all the cillins and mycins, plus developing sensitivities to the tetracyclines, so docs sometimes have an "interesting" time deciding what to give me. I do know what I can take, and it's well-documented in my records. I'm not allergic or sensitive to floxacins, but never again unless it's the last possibility.