An infected rat carries a flea; the flea bites a human; and in the human, a dangerous illness is born. Bubonic plague's infectious trail may seem like the stuff of medieval epics, but the disease that caused the Black Death has not yet been fully eradicated—as a woman currently hospitalized in Los Angeles can attest. Stories about this new case of bubonic plague, the first in the Los Angeles region since 1984, hit the newswires this week, and searches soared.
"Bubonic plague" rose into the top 500 searches, up 1,067%, as searchers sought details about the same disease that killed millions in Europe centuries ago. We know now that bubonic plague can be treated and is not contagious. But, if left unchecked, it can develop into its more deadly and contagious variant, pneumonic plague, which has a mortality rate of 99%. "Pneumonic plague" also spiked in Search, but rose only into the top 20,000 searches.
According to the news reports, health officials state that there is no reason for panic about this new occurrence of the plague. The afflicted Los Angeles woman, who remains unidentified, is reported to be in stable condition. Meanwhile, the inquisitive searches continue to stream in.
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