Wherever you plan to go on holiday, taking a trip to a travel health clinic can be an ideal way to get peace of mind and protect yourself from any potential future infections, whether the steps to take involve vaccinations, additional travel medications such as antimalarials or being careful when travelling to certain regions.
In a lot of cases, which diseases are points of concern can depend on the region, and a good example of this can be found in modern outbreaks of the plague.
In the UK, the plague is primarily associated with historical pandemics such as the Black Death, but there are some relatively rare cases where a traveller can come into contact with it if they have made certain specific holiday plans.
To explain why, it is important to understand the plague, what it is, where it is found and what precautions you can take to protect yourself if it is a risk.
What Is The Plague?
The plague is often used as a synonym for a wide range of infectious and potentially lethal diseases, but the specific disease known as the plague is caused by the bacterium known as Yersinia pestis, found in fleas carried by small mammals.
Whilst most people associate the plague with the bubonic plague, it is one of three main types of plague, each categorised based on the route of infection:
- Bubonic: Typically caused by flea bites, it is the most common type of plague and causes inflamed lymph nodes known as buboes.
- Pneumonic: The most serious type, pneumonic plague can be transmitted via water droplets from an infected person or the progression of bubonic plague.
- Septicaemic: The rarest main type, septicaemic plague is a plague that spreads through the bloodstream and can cause tissue necrosis and internal bleeding.
Early diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics are essential to reduce the risk of serious, life-threatening complications. If left untreated, pneumonic plague is nearly always fatal.
Where Is The Plague Found?
Contrary to the reputation plague has, human cases of the disease are rare, and since the 1990s, the vast majority of them have occurred in Africa.
Specifically, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar are the two countries where the plague is most endemic, followed by Peru in South America.
It has been found in other areas such as the United States, but the spread of the plague to humans is very rare.
When And How Do You Protect Yourself?
The risk of contracting the plague is very low, and the risk of spreading it to other people is even lower. The last confirmed case of the plague in the UK was in 1918.
One of the most recent plague outbreaks in Madagascar, itself unusually prolific, did not see any cases of the plague leave the country.
A vaccine for plague does exist, but it is not used in the UK due to the extremely low risk of people outside of health workers and laboratory staff getting infected.
Typically, maintaining proper hygiene, avoiding contact with dead animals and minimising your risk of being bitten by fleas by using approved repellents and loose long-sleeved clothing are typically enough to avoid harm even in places where the disease is more common.