Black Death has returned to the US with the first case being reported from Idaho. A 14-year-old from Elmore County has been diagnosed with the disease, which he possibly got either in his native state or during his latest trip to Oregon. The Central District Health Department informed that it is the first case of Bubonic Plague in Idaho in 26 years.
"Plague is spread to humans through a bite from an infected flea," an epidemiologist from the health department warned. "People can decrease their risk by treating their pets for fleas and avoiding contact with wildlife. Wear insect repellent, long pants and socks when visiting plague-affected areas."
The Black Death first arrived in Western Europe in 1347 and in England in 1348. But it gradually disappeared in the early 1350s. According to the people of the medieval period, the disease attacked the east, affecting eastern Mediterranean and Italy along with Spain and France and then moved forward towards the north and west. Gradually, the disease struck Britain and England, thereby proceeding to Scandinavia and Russia.
The Black Death spreads to humans from animals via the fleas from dead rats. It appeared in three forms of attack, which included Bubonic plague, pneumonic plague, and septicemic plague, the occasional one. People affected with the fatal disease may notice swellings in the groin, armpits, and neck. They may experience blood in coughs, and dark patches.
Though the Black Death or Bubonic plague had its existence in the sixth century A.D. as "pandemics," it was known to have become serious and fatal in the 1300s. That was the period when it was named the "Black Death" disease. When the Bubonic plague affected Asia in the 1890s for the third time, it was believed that a trace of it is still left behind in animals posing threat even to this day.
In the latest Black Death episode of Idaho, the affected teen is recovering after treatment while the authorities are still searching for evidence of what caused it. Moreover, The Express reported that the area the victim belonged to in Idaho is the region where squirrels were tested positive for the Bubonic plague in 2015 and 2016.
