Bubonic Plague Essays

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As of December 10th, 2013, twenty people in Mandritsara, Madagascar have been reported to have died. Caused by an outbreak of the deadly bubonic plague. The plague has been reported in 112 districts in the past month as of December 20th. The inmates, in the rat infested Jails are most at risk because of the dirty, overcrowded environment. Christopher Rogier, of the Pasteur Institute, which fights pandemics in poorer countries, said: "If the plague gets into prisons there could be a sort of atomic explosion of plague within the town. The prison walls will never prevent the plague from getting out and invading the rest of the town."The number deaths rise each October because of the hot humid weather attracting fleas, which transmits the disease from rats and other animals to humans.This relates to interaction between humans and the environment because of the demography and disease.

The bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis. It is a disease of wild rodents, spread by fleas. Spread to humans by either a bite of an infected flea or rat. It does not spread from person to person. The side effects include swollen or tender lymph glands, fevers, chills headache and weakness. It is only treatable if caught early, but is still deadly. The bubonic plague remains a serious health problem in Madagascar. The plague is endemic in the animal population, and cannot be wiped out. The amount of infected rats in the prisons means the plague can be spread easily. The fleas from the infected rats infect prison guards, prisoners, and visitors. And the rats can go in and out of the jail at anytime unlike the prisoners. The threat to the population is severe and serious. In Madagascar medication, rodent-proof housing and better urban hygiene has been a routine to many. But living conditions in Madagascar’s highland villages, where most people store their rice crops in their homes, attract rats and make the country more prone to plague outbreaks.

Between the years of 1348 and 1350 the Black Death killed 1.5 million people out of an estimated 4 million people. And at the time no medical assistance was available to cope with the disease. After 1350 the plague hit another six times by the end of the century, killing even more. The “Black Death” which was the name given to the bubonic plague; has affected England more than once in that century but its impact on English society from 1348 to 1350 was terrible. It also had a major impact of England’s social structure which was a cause of the Peasants revolt of 1381. “Written evidence from the time indicates that nearly all the victims died within three days though a small number did last for four days.” In towns and cities where people lives quite close together, where they knew nothing about diseases. As well as the fact that the disposal of human bodies was very lewd, Caused the spread of infectious diseases to spread rapidly.

The black death was a huge impact on society. Fields went unplowed, crops were not harvested, and animals were not taken care of. Causing people to not only suffer from the black death but also from starvation. Towns and cities suffered food shortages. The high powered men lost their power and turned into sheep farmers because of their sickness. Grain farming became less popular, again causing mostly bread shortages. One of the main problems of the black death was inflation. Because of the food shortages, the prices of food went up for times the normal amount. Causing even more problems for the poor, as they could barely afford it already.

For Madagascar, the situation is quite different. People are still dying of the plague but the impact on society is different. The fields are still being plowed and the food is still being produced. People are still living because the impact isn't so hard, not as many people are dying. If the plague spread more rapidly the impact could become more serious, causing the society a downfall.
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