If you thought that plague was just something that occurred in the Middle Ages, stick with us and read our list of 10 countries where Black Death still exists. The Black Death was one of the most horrifying pandemics ever to occur in human history, killing millions of people. Also known as the plague, it brought a slow and painful death leaving many cities half empty, hence the proper name for it. It swept through three continents in the 14th century killing about 75 million people.
The global impacts of plague are greater than we can comprehend today. It was a terrible pandemic that spread so quickly that people were not able to remove the dead bodies fast enough. While large parts of cities and countries were left empty, worldwide trade declined during this period. Even wars in Europe were stopped for a while due to this devastating disease. People abandoned their farms and villages, and there was a labor shortage, therefore some laborers such as serfs could demand higher wages. According to the World Health Organization, there are two main clinical forms of plague infection: bubonic and pneumonic, with the first one being the most common. The infection is transmitted through the bites of fleas or by direct contact with the infected material. The infection is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, which is found in small mammals and their fleas, and it is believed that the bacteria came from China and spread across the rest of the world.
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There are several different beliefs regarding the origins of plague, and now there are several theories of Black Death. The main theory is the Bubonic plague theory, based on the belief that plague can only be transmitted by flea bites. Another theory is that the Bubonic plague was spread by rats and not fleas, although this theory is somewhat unclear and not fully explained. A new, more realistic theory implies that the Black Death was spread by coughs and sneezes as well as the mere breath of infected people. So basically, the plague was airborne. It is believed that plague was brought to Europe by sea when two Genoese ships arrived in Sicily. The majority of the sailors were dead and those who were still alive were covered in boils and delirious from pain. The Black Death spread across Europe for the next five years killing millions of people.
However, there is also a sensational new theory that emerged recently explaining how the Black Death originated and it is rather surprising. Recently, scientists have reasons to believe that the Black Death was triggered by an asteroid impact, and they fear another it can happen again. Centuries after the plague had killed millions of people across the world, we believed we were finally safe. Unfortunately, occasional outbreaks of plague still occur from time to time, in countries where Black Death still exists. So, where in the world can you still catch a plague? Cases of Black Death can be found in Africa, South America, and Asia, but the greatest number of plague cases are reported in Africa. So if you have wondered do people still catch the plague, sadly, the answer is yes, and thousands of people still catch the plague every year. Some of the hardest hit countries where you can catch this deadly disease are Madagascar and The Democratic Republic of Congo. Plague still emerges in these countries from time to time and is still lethal as many people don’t have access to proper treatment. But recent cases have been reported in many other countries as well.
We mentioned the two types of plague: bubonic and pneumonic. Pneumonic plague is the lung-based plague, and if not treated, it is always fatal, but the most common form is the bubonic plague. So is bubonic plague still lurking? I’m afraid that the answer is yes again, as this type of plague remains a serious threat even today with better hygiene and living conditions. Cases of bubonic plague are reported every year across the globe, especially in African countries and some parts of Latin America like Peru and Bolivia. Devastating epidemics have already killed so many people by now, as we discussed in our article about 11 Biggest Epidemics in Human History, and they ought to not to be forgotten. Although it seems to be forgotten and long gone, the Black Death is still present despite the fact that world has advanced in everything since the 14th century. However, plague is treatable today if discovered on time, and unlike in the Middle Ages, it can be stopped.
We wanted to raise awareness regarding the Black Death, so we did research in order to discover in which countries can we still find plague. With the help of the WHO and the Center For Disease Control and Prevention, we gathered information on the recent cases of plague worldwide, and we compiled a list these countries where plague is still an issue. Countries with the most cases of plague are ranked at the top of the list. Take a look at our list of 10 countries where Black Death still exists.
10. Mongolia
The Black Death is known to be endemic in Mongolia, with the first human cases reported back in the 1980s, and 20 human cases have occurred each year since then, according to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention. Contact with and consumption of the marmot is the main source of human plague in Mongolia.
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9. India
India is also one of the countries where Black Death still exists, as, since 1994, there have been multiple outbreaks of plague reported in India. On August 26, 1944, the first human cases were reported in Maharashtra state, and they spread to Bombay which is about 300km away. Cases of plague were reported in south-central, southwestern, and northern India.
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8. Russia
A case of plague was reported in Russia, one of the countries where Black Death still exists. It happened recently when a 10-year-old boy caught bubonic plague while skinning a marmot. It is believed that he caught the plague when he accidentally cut himself with the knife he was using. Thousands of local residents were vaccinated as a precaution, while 17 people were quarantined.
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7. United States
Surprisingly, a case of the Black Death was recently recorded in the United Staes as well, despite being usually found in African countries at the moment. In 2015 a high school quarterback, Taylor Gaes, died shortly after his 16th birthday in Colorado. Doctors were puzzled and the boy’s parents thought he had caught the flu, but after the boy died it was revealed that he died from the plague. It is believed that he contracted a bacteria from a flea bite.
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6. China
China is also one of the countries where Black Death still exists. Three cases of pneumonic plague were reported in Gansu province in China in 2014. When a man died from plague in Yumen city, on July 16th, the hospital was quarantined and 151 people were placed under observation. Two more cases were reported, and both patients died within 24 hours of arriving at the hospital.
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5. Bolivia
Number five on our list of countries where Black Death still exists is Bolivia where plague was reported from 1994 to 1999, as well as in several other Latin countries. However, in recent years, cases of plague have been reported in La Paz Department in 2010 and 2014. Four cases of plague were reported in 2014 and one person died of plague the same year.
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4. Peru
A 14-year-old boy died from plague in Peru in 2010 when an outbreak of pneumonic and bubonic plague occurred. A total of 17 cases of plague have been confirmed by the Ministry of Health in Peru as of July 2010. All 17 cases were reported in Ascope province of Department La Libertad. The last reported outbreak of plague before that was in 1994 when 35 people were killed by the Black Death.
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3. Uganda
Apparently Uganda is one of the countries where Black Death still exists. During 2008-2016, 255 suspected cases of plague were recorded in the West-Nile region of Uganda, and about one-third of them were laboratory confirmed. There were reports of a huge number of dead rats at the patients’ village at the time, which is associated with the outbreak of the Black Death.
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2. The Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo seems to be the country where the Black Death keeps returning very often. This country has reported more than 10,000 cases of plague from 2000 and 2009, and plague still represents a possibility and a justified fear in this country. According to the WHO, Ituri district in The Democratic Republic of Congo is the most active focus of human plague worldwide.
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1. Madagascar
While The Black Death still regularly occurs throughout Asia and Africa, Madagascar is the most endemic country of them all, therefore it ranked the first among the 10 countries where Black Death still exists. From the total of 626 cases of plague in 2014, 482 of them were reported in Madagascar, and 112 people died from the Black Death.
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