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By April 2013, more than 650,000 cases of cholera had been reported in Haiti, resulting in more than 8,000 deaths.

first symptoms

skin blackene

inspiration for “Dance of Death” rituals

nervous system collapsed, causing extreme pain and bizarre neurological disorders

Once infected, people can infect others by coughing, sneezing, or close talking

“pocket full of posies,” that people carried with them and held near their faces to ward off the horrid odor

uncharacteristically cremated—the “ashes, ashes,”—and finally, death would come, and we would “all fall down.”

Fleas feeding on infected rodents can transmit the disease to people as well

the skin blackened, giving rise to “The Black Death.

The origin of “The Black Death” dates to an outbreak in China during the 1330s

Unlike smallpox, the plague is still a threat in some parts of the world. Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes bubonic plague, is transmitted through rat-tainted fleabites in densely populated cities and in countries with poor hygiene, or in the open country from infected wild rodents. The most common form of human plague is a swollen and painful lymph gland that forms buboes.

Pneumonic plague is more difficult to treat, and even with antibiotics, victims can die from it. Pneumonic plague occurs when the infectious bacteria infects the lungs. The first signs of illness in pneumonic plague are fever, headache, weakness, and a cough that produces blood or watery sputum. The pneumonia progresses over two to four days and, without early treatment, death ensues.

Plague vaccines have been used since the late nineteenth century, but their effectiveness is uncertain. Vaccination reduces the incidence and severity of disease resulting from the bite of infected fleas, but it isn't 100 percent effective. The plague vaccine is licensed for use in the United States and is available for adults at high risk—people who live in the western United States, people who will be in parts of the world where plague is still endemic, and people who are around rodents. Severe inflammatory reactions are common, and plague vaccine should not be given to anyone with a known hypersensitivity to beef protein, soya, casein, or phenol. Finally, the vaccination routine is complex and requires frequent boosters to maintain its effectiveness.

Bubonic Plague