The Plague is back. And no, you’re eyes are not deceiving you. On November 16th, 2019, the third case of the pneumonic plague was confirmed in China.
“The man, age 55, is also from Inner Mongolia though authorities said his case was not related in any way to the couple medically evacuated to Beijing,” an NPR article reported. Twenty-eight people who were in close contact with the man have been quarantined and none have exhibited symptoms of the plague.”
Most people nowadays do not panic in terms of the plague. We all know it was a terrifying pandemic in the 1300’s but now there are vaccines and it is very curable. The plague comes from animals, particularly rodents, and this is how the plague is on the rise again in 2019. The first person affected by this most recent form of plague was a Chinese hunter who caught and ate a rabbit.
“The Chinese government’s response to this month’s outbreak of plague has been marked by temerity and some fear, which history suggests is entirely appropriate,” Laurie Garrett of foreignpolicy.com said. “But not all fear is the same, and Beijing seems to be afraid of the wrong things. Rather than being concerned about the germs and their spread, the government seems mostly motivated by a desire to manage public reaction about the disease.”
Insider.com discusses the versions of the plague, as well as the why and how it is now spreading. The Chinese government is currently attempting to assuage the public’s panic reactions and keep the plague from spreading.
“Of the three versions of the disease, pneumonic plague, is the only one that can be transmitted from one person to another by coughing, for example. The other variants are typically spread by infected fleas or animals,” an NPR article reported.
The people of China, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and the Chinese government are all keeping a close eye on the disease. The victims of the disease and those who were in close contact are under quarantine in hopes for prevention and to keep it from spreading. Because of this cautious quarantine, there is a slim chance that the plague could spread to the United States.
