Original article (in Slovenian) was published on 18/7/2024; Author: Lara Mavrič
According to the US government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of seven human cases of human plague have been reported in the US per year in recent decades.
On 6 July, the Žurnal24 news portal published an article entitled Reappearance of a disease that killed 25 million people in the Middle Ages. It reported on a case of the human plague recorded in Pueblo County, Colorado, explaining that the disease is very rare in humans today, with an average of seven cases per year in the U.S.
On 5 July, the Pueblo County Department of Public Health & Environment, in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, informed the public that they are investigating a suspected case of human plague based on preliminary tests. On 9 July, a case of human plague was confirmed in a Pueblo County resident. The local office is still identifying the potential source of the infection and residents have been advised to take measures to protect themselves against infection with the bacterium that causes the plague.
Data by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that an average of seven human cases of plague have been reported in the United States each year since 2000, with a range of zero to 17 cases per year. Since the mid-20th century, the plague has typically been recorded in rural areas in the west of the country.
Globally, according to the WHO, recent plague epidemics have occurred in Africa, Asia and South America. Currently, the three endemic countries are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Peru.
In Madagascar, cases of bubonic plague, the most common form of the disease, are detected almost every year during the September-April season. In 2021, 20 suspected cases and 22 confirmed cases were reported there by 15 September, with eight people dying.
The plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is transmitted by animals, mainly rodents and their fleas. Humans can become infected if they a bitten by an infected flea, but also through unprotected contact with infectious bodily fluids or contaminated materials, and by inhaling respiratory droplets from a pneumonic plague patient.
If left untreated, the mortality rate can be 30% to 100%. The pneumonic form is always fatal unless treated early. Treatment requires antibiotics, which must be taken immediately to prevent severe disease or death.
The WHO estimates that plague caused around 50 million deaths in Europe in the 14th century.
We have brought our findings to the attention of Žurnal24 and will publish their reaction when we receive it.
Because the title does not reflect the content of the article, in which the author explains that this is not a “new” disease, it is considered clickbait according to the Razkrinkavanje.si methodology.
The second part of the headline claimed that the plague killed 25 million people in the 14th century. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 50 million people died of the plague in Europe at that time. The claim that the plague killed 25 million people in the Middle Ages is not true.
