How to protect yourself and your pets from Plague.

For some time, I have been writing about infections in pets, but we must not forget that we also have, zoonotic diseases, which not only affect pets but affects pet owners too, an example of such a zoonotic disease is, Plague.
Plague is a bacterial disease that happens suddenly and sometimes gets very viral, it is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, which is mostly transmitted through fleas of rats and other rodents. This disease is also referred to as Black Death, it came up in Asia and Europe back in the 14th century, and when it happened back then, more than 25 million people actually died in Europe of the disease.

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Thank goodness we now have antibiotics and several other medications that have helped us control the spread of the disease, but bear in mind that the spread has only been limited it has not been circulated totally. The bacteria, Yersinia pestis is sustained in the environment through natural cycle operation between rodent species and their associated fleas, not so many people keep rodents as pets, so how do they affect our common pets you may ask? Dogs get exposed to the bacteria through oral contact with the secretions or tissues of a rodent or rabbit, or even through the bite of an infected flea.

Plagues are in three forms, we have; septicemic, pneumonic, and bubonic. The bubonic plague will lead to swollen lymph nodes, Septicemic plagues will lead to the spreading of the plague through the blood affecting multiple internal organs like the liver, heart, spleen, and lungs. A pneumonic plague on the other hand is a plague that affects the lungs, it usually comes from an untreated septicemic plague or infection droplets spread by coughing from affected individuals.

How plague bacteria gets transmitted to pets and humans

Flea Bites: Plague bacteria are usually mostly transmitted through the bite of an infected flea, with the occurrence of plague epizootics, lots of rodents die, creating room for hungry fleas to look out for other sources of blood. Any human or animal that visits the places where rodents have recently died from the plague is at risk of being infected by flea bites. Common pets like dogs and cats could also bring fleas that are infected into the home, hence, affecting the pet owners as well.
Contact with contaminated tissue or fluid: Humans can also get infected when they handle body fluids or the tissue of a plague-infected animal.
Infectious Droplets: When a person has plague pneumonia, they could cough droplets that contain the plague bacteria into the air, in a case where the bacteria-containing droplets are breathed in by someone else can cause pneumonic plague. The spread of pneumonic plague requires close contact for the spread to become possible, and for transmission to spread between humans, then the droplets are a strong necessity. Cats are very susceptible to plague, when they eat infected rodents they can get infected. Cats that are sick will pose a serious threat in the transmission of infectious plague droplets to their owners and even to vets who are trying to treat them.

When the bacterial infection Y.pestis causing plagues gets into the body, they get hidden in the immune system, creating room for multiplication and spread out, when it enters into the cell, a toxin is released to kill the cell. The effect of the bacteria can also be seen on the lymph nodes, causing large swellings called buboes, if it enters into the blood, it could damage the organs and when it gets into the lungs, it can cause serious inflammation as well as respiratory failure.

The symptoms of plague are highly dependent on its type, we have symptoms like; Fever, Dizziness, Cold, Body aches and headaches, Abdominal pain, Bleeding from the nose, mouth, and under the skin, swollen and painful lymph nodes, chest pain, severe cough, breath shortness.

Rodents and flea management around the home must be taken seriously, and keep away waste food and wood piles. When your pets are kept indoors, there is a less likely chance of having them exposed to the bacteria, but if you cannot keep your pet indoors, then you need to provide a means of preventive measure to keep fleas away from your pet.

In the case of a plague outbreak, more serious measures have to be taken into consideration;

The source of the infection needs to be stopped.
Protection of health workers has to be put into consideration.
Ensure there is the correct treatment for affected pets and humans.
Isolates patients who have been diagnosed with pneumonic plague.
Ensure disinfection, let there be consistent routine hand washing with soap and water.
Let there be a proper burial of any case of death caused by the plague.

Dogs usually do not show serious signs of the infection but once you realize that your dog is behaving strangely, you need to speak with the vet immediately. When dogs have the plague, they often begin to show symptoms like; sudden loss of appetite, swollen lymph nodes, lethargy, and fever.

Plagues in humans also need to be treated with every sense of urgency, with appropriate treatment, the human with plaque should feel better within a week or two, but complications can also happen quickly but rarely too; Organ failure, Inflammation of the lining of the brain, Death of tissue, loss of limb from gangrene, and respiratory failure are all complications that can come out of plague in humans.