The Black Death, also known as the bubonic plague, is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It was responsible for devastating pandemics. Transmitted primarily through the bites of infected fleas on rodents, the disease presents with sudden high fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes known as buboes, which can become blackened. If untreated, it can progress to septicemic or pneumonic plague, both of which are more deadly. Without timely medical intervention, the mortality rate is exceedingly high.
Symptoms
Initial symptoms include sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches.
Progression
Swollen, painful lymph nodes (buboes) typically develop in the groin, armpits, or neck. If untreated, the infection can progress to septicemic plague (bacteria enter the bloodstream) causing abdominal pain, shock, and bleeding into the skin and other organs, or pneumonic plague (infecting the lungs) causing severe respiratory symptoms and a high risk of person-to-person transmission.
Treatment
- Herbal antibiotics (Garlic, Echinacea, Goldenseal)
- Lancing buboes (may result in infection)