The Plague (Black Death) Is Still Around and May Come Back

Nader Aghakhani,Jamal Ahmadzadeh,Kazhal Mobaraki,Shahin Izadi,Arash Aliasghari

doi:10.34172/ijer.2022.02

Abstract

Plague has been among the most devastating infectious diseases in human history. The decrease in the plague in recently reported cases and studies implies that the plague should not recur, but the fact is that it (Black Death) is still around and may appear again. The disease can be occult for many years. The reemergence of the plague epidemic with unusual clinical form, magnitude, and rapid expansion at any place and time without prior notice could pose a serious risk to public health. Plague outbreaks most likely result from the reactivation of organisms in local foci. The reemergence of foci suggests that environmental or climatic changes could be favorable for an epidemiological cycle of Yersinia pestis. Thus, countries harboring plague foci can be at risk of outbreaks in the future. Different epidemiological aspects of the plague must be emphasized in prophylactic medical plans and health education systems, and healthcare workers should be alert and aware of the natural cycle, as well as clinical symptoms and signs of plague. Finally, surveillance, education, and research are also suggested regarding this fatal infection and other emerging diseases.

Highlights

Dear Editor, In 1894, Alexandre Yersin, a French and Swiss microbiologist, isolated a pathogen from the plague gland of a corpse in Hong Kong and named it Coccobacillus Yersinia
The causative agent of the plague (Black Death), as a fatal disease caused by Yersinia pestis with devastating impacts on human populations, has long been discussed between historians and scientists.[1]
Only Europe and Australasia are free of the plague and have not been reported as active areas for this disease while several regions are contaminated by the plague in the remaining continents

Summary

Introduction

Dear Editor, In 1894, Alexandre Yersin, a French and Swiss microbiologist, isolated a pathogen from the plague gland of a corpse in Hong Kong and named it Coccobacillus Yersinia. *Corresponding Author: Arash Aliasghari, MSc of Critical Care Nursing, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran. Medical history has recorded three great pandemics of plague, namely, the Justinian plague in the 6th century A.D., the Black Death in 1347, and the third pandemic that started in 1855 in Yunnan Province of China.[3]

Results

Conclusion