The Bubonic Plague and COVID-19 in 2020

When you hear the words “bubonic plague”, the horrors of a time ravaged with illness and death probably enter your mind. You may think with the advancements of modern medicine and science that a pandemic like this is a thing of the past, that there is no chance of it returning with a vengeance again. However, this assumption is wrong. On July 4, 2020, a hospital in Bayannur, China told authorities of a suspected plague case, which they confirmed as the bubonic plague three days later. A week after this initial plague case, two more citizens developed plague-like symptoms after eating marmot meat. The city responded with a Level 3 warning, telling its citizens to limit face to face interactions and to avoid the consumption as well as handling of marmots. Marmots are large ground squirrels, resembling groundhogs, and are popular forms of meat for dishes in China and Mongolia. Officials  closed five grassland scenic points, enacted stricter regulations of other grassland tourist sites, and told its citizens to not eat or hunt marmots. These plague cases in China come during a time devastated by a comparable influenza, COVID-19 or the novel coronavirus. The novel coronavirus is a viral disease that spreads through respiratory droplets, like from sneezing or coughing. Similar to the bubonic plague, COVID-19, is easily spread and just as deadly. The two pandemics are quite similar in their disastrous effect on humanity; however, when diving deeper into their cellular makeup, they are quite different. 

So, what is this “bubonic plague” that I speak of? Imagine horrible coughing, headaches, and swollen lymph nodes the size of eggs that appear all over your body. This sounds horrible, right? This easily spread, fatal infection is caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis, that lives in animals such as fleas (Eastman 1). To develop a disease of this nature, an infected flea must bite the person, allowing for the Y.pestis to enter their system (Eastman 3). The sickness needs three parts in its transmission formula before affecting humans, "…the causative organism (Yersinia pestis), transmission vector (the flea), and primary reservoir (flee – infected rodents) …" (Eastman 2). Once infected, the Y.pestis then travels to the person’s lymph nodes, liver, and spleen where it multiplies aggressively (Eastman 3). 

This illness devastated a large majority of Europe in the fourteenth century, killing 50 million people, which was equivalent to 60% of Europe's population at that time. Those who contracted the disease received headaches, shaking chills, swollen lymph nodes that can burst erratically, and more (Eastman 3). The swollen lymph nodes that can appear in the groin, axilla, or neck are called “buboes” which is where this plague got its iconic name (Eastman 3). On average, an infected person would start showing symptoms between two and six days after exposure. If a person develops symptoms and does not receive treatment in a timely manner, 40% to 70% of those individuals will perish (Eastman 3). However, with the advancements of technology, this plague can now be treated with antibiotics such as “…streptomycin, tetracyclines, and sulfonamides…” because of its bacterial nature (Stenseth et al).

While there are antibiotics to treat this sickness, it has not been eradicated. In the years 2010 to 2015, there have been 3,248 cases worldwide and 584 deaths as a result of the plague. In May 2019, two individuals who consumed marmot meat from Mongolia passed away because of the plague. Since this similar incident occurred last year, it shows that the bubonic plague is not likely to spread out to the larger community with proper precautions. This similar event, psat research, and technical advancements support the assessment of the World Health Organization (WHO) that the most recent instances of the plague in Bayannur are under control and are not likely to develop into a worldwide pandemic. With the officials taking quick action to handle the situation and antibiotics, the bubonic plague should be the least of your worries, for we are living in a time where a different illness plagues us, COVID-19. 

COVID-19 is a viral disease that has no vaccine and has spread to the entire world. As of July 17, 2020, COVID-19 has infected 7,730,980 and killed 590,608 people worldwide. This death toll can be brought into perspective by comparing it to a big city such as San Francisco with a population of  881,549 residents. Now, imagine getting rid of half of San Francisco’s entire population and just how detrimental that loss would be. This is the reality that we are facing today as COVID-19 continues to take the lives of so many individuals. 

In December 2019, the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Wuhan, China. There is still no clear origin of this virus, although experts believe that, like the bubonic plague, it was transmitted from some type of animal in a market. COVID-19 is a type of coronavirus, similar to the 2003 SARS - CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus that tormented China years ago. There are four types of coronavirus: “...alpha, beta, gamma, and delta” and their appearance under a microscope shows a sphere with spikes that resemble crowns.

COVID-19 is easily spread through droplets that form in the air from an infected person. Those who contract this illness can suffer through headaches, fatigue, fever, shortness of breath, congestion, and more. These ailments may sound like the common flu, however, the disease can lead to “...respiratory problems, kidney failure or death”. However, a person can also have no symptoms at all and still spread the disease to others unknowingly as it takes fourteen days for any signs to show. 

While researchers are searching for a cure for COVID-19, there are still many unknowns surrounding the virus. The only treatments available for infected patients are ones that alleviate symptoms, not address the underlying illness. Since COVID-19 is viral in nature, it requires a host to multiply then spread by taking over a cell’s functions. Viral diseases are complex in that they cannot be treated with antibiotic drugs. Antibiotic drugs are able to kill off the bacteria that spreads the bubonic plague, so with no vaccination or drug treatment available, COVID-19 will continue to wreak havoc until there are no hosts left to spread to. Therefore, until a proper treatment is found, life as we know it will take a while to return to what it once was.

It is easy to strike fear as well as panic in the general society with viruses and illnesses like the bubonic plague and COVID-19. As shown with the history of the bubonic plague, medical advancements and precautions can contain the spread of deadly sicknesses, however, these treatments take years to develop. So, as the novel coronavirus continues to wage war against the world, it is important to practice precautions such as social distancing, wearing face masks, washing your hands, and more. We wouldn’t want a repeat of the “Black Death”, coronavirus style, now would we?  

Works Cited:

Eastman, James T. “The Making of a Pandemic: Bubonic Plague in the 14th Century.” The Journal of Lancaster General Hospital, 2009.

Stenseth, Nils Chr, et al. “Plague: Past, Present, and Future.” PLoS Medicine, vol. 5, no. 1, 2008, doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050003.