1. By Jonathan Le

2.  Bubonic plague is a severe and possibly deadly
bacterial infection. The infection is caused by the
bacteria called Yersinia pestis. Yersinia Pestis is most
often carried by small rodents such as rats, mice, and
squirrels.

3.  Bubonic plague is not spread through contact but is
transferred through flea and tick bites.

4.  Bubonic plague still occurs in the world. According to the World
Health Organization, there are about 1,000 to 3,000 cases of
bubonic plague around the world each year. It is found in Russia,
the Middle East, China, Southwest and Southeast Asia,
Madagascar, southern and eastern Africa, the Andes mountains
and Brazil. Only 10-15 of those cases are in the U.S. These cases
tend to occur in the south western part of the United States.

5.  Bubonic plague symptoms usually appear after 2-7 days since
becoming infected, called the incubation period. Symptoms
include: Chills, high fever, headache, malaise, muscle pain,
seizures, internal bleeding causing a blackish discoloration of
the skin, and enlarged, painful lymph nodes called buboes.
Buboes are caused because the bacteria begin to multiply in the
lymphatic system.
 https://www.biodigitalhuman.com/

6.  Patients diagnosed with bubonic plague should begin
treatment immediately. Antibiotics are the best way to
cure bubonic plague. If left untreated, the mortality
rate of 50% -90%. With early diagnoses and treatment,
the rate drops down to about 15%.

7.  Major outbreaks on bubonic plague are because of large amounts
of flea-ridden rats infesting cities. In developed countries, have
controlled their rat populations. But in developing and 3rd world
countries, rat infestation is a problem, putting them at risk for a
bubonic plague epidemic. Treating your pets for fleas, using
insecticide to kill fleas, and calling an exterminator if there is a
rat problem in your home are simple ways to make sure bubonic
plague does not enter your household.

8.  One of the most devastating pandemics in history was
the Black Death. The height of it in Europe between
1348 to 1350. The cause of this is thought to be of rats
traveling on ships that went on the Silk Road, which
was an international trading route to China. The Black
Death is estimated to have killed over 100 million
people in the 14th century.

9. Information from:
 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000596.htm
 http://rarediseases.about.com/cs/bubonicplague/a/111602.htm
 http://plague.emedtv.com/bubonic-plague/bubonic-plague.html
 http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/bubonic-plague
 http://www.cdc.gov/plague/
 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs267/en/
 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/rxforsurvival/series/diseases/plague.html
 http://www.infoplease.com/cig/dangerous-diseases-epidemics/bubonic-plague.html
Photos from:
 http://rarediseases.about.com/od/infectiousdiseases/ig/Pictures-of-Bubonic-Plague/blood-smear.htm
 http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/133992/enlarge
 http://www.hitthetrail.com/bubonic-plague
 https://www.biodigitalhuman.com/
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Symptoms_of_bubonic_plague.svg
 http://stores.duchefadirect.com/catalog/Streptomycin_50g.jpg
 http://rainbowdist.com/content/images/thumbs/0008740_raid_flea_killer_plus_carpet_room_spray_16_ounce_cans_300.jpeg
 http://www.medievalists.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Black-Death.jpg