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Bubonic Plague Article

Joanna Hull

HCS/245

August 7, 2012
Lavinia Goto

Bubonic Plague In the mid-14th century in Europe, there was a deadly disease that spread like wild fire killing millions of people who came in contact with it. The disease is called the bubonic plague also known as the Black Death and it affects the lymphatic system causing your lymph nodes to swell. People do not usually spread bubonic plague from person to person. Small rodents, such as rat, mice, and squirrels, carry the infection. Fleas that live on these animals act as “vectors” and carry the infection from the rodent to humans (“Bubonic Plague,”2010). It is said to have originated from China and later spread to Europe and then Russia killing millions. This happened over thousands of years ago, but still happens today worldwide just not as bad as it was in the 14th century. According to the World Health Organization, there are 1,000 to 3,000 cases of bubonic plague worldwide each year. A man from Oregon was very unfortunate to have come in contact with this infection and this is his terrifying story about him fighting for survival. Paul Gaylord, 59, was in his home in Prineville, Oregon enjoying a beautiful summer day when he saw that his cat had a rodent in its mouth. Paul tried to grab the rodent out of his cat’s mouth and while trying to do this; his cat scratched and bit him in the process. Paul went to his doctor to get some antibiotics to prevent him from getting cat scratch fever but then later he started to not do so well. Several days later, his condition started to worsen and went back to the clinic for further treatment but was rushed to a larger hospital in Bend, Oregon. “The doctors said that he wasn’t going to make it,” said Paul’s niece, Andrea adding that her uncle is expected to lose all of his fingers, which have turned black,

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