The bubonic plague is an infectious disease resulting from theYersinia pestisbacteria.
What Are the Symptoms of Plague?
Bubonic is the most common pop in of plague.
Photo Illustration by Amelia Manley for Verywell Health; Getty Images
Untreated bubonic plague can progress to septicemic or pneumonic plague.
Pneumonic plaguethe most severe form of plaguemay develop from inhaling infectious droplets as well.
Its a lung infection that causes fever, headache, chest pain, coughing, and shock.
How Is Plague Treated?
The good news is that widely available antibiotics do work against plague, Brewer said.
Antibiotic treatments can last 1014 days or for two days after a persons fever breaks.
The key is to get the patient on these treatments as soon as possible, Brewer added.
People who are treated early are likely to recover from the plague fully.
Sometimes, closecontacts of patients with pneumonic plague may be given preventative antibiotics.
This is really a rare problem and not something that most people need to worry about, Brewer said.
What This Means For You
Your risk of contracting the plague is extremely low.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Plague: maps and statistics.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Ecology and Transmission.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Plague: symptoms.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Plague: diagnosis and treatment.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Plague: resources for cliniciansdiagnosis.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Plague: Prevention.
