ABOUT:

• Plague is a communicable disease, caused by bacterium Yersinia pestis
• Transmitted between vertebrate animals and humans
• Non-motile, non-acid fast, non spore forming, gram-negative cocco-bacillus. Y. pestis is easily destroyed by sunlight, high temperatures, and disinfectants.
• As with many primarily zoonotic diseases, plague is a very severe disease in people, with case fatality rates of 50-60% if left untreated.

SYMPTOMS:

• Incubation period (time taken between catching an infection and appearance of symptoms) of the disease is 3-7 days.
1. fever
2. chills
3. head and body-aches and weakness
4. vomiting and nausea.

TREATMENT:

• Precautions to be taken against the flea bites
• Not to handle animal carcasses in plague-endemic areas
• Avoid direct contact with infected tissues such as suppurating buboes
• Avoid exposure to patients with pneumonic plague
• Various socio-epidemiological factors responsible for an outbreak in that particular area.