Almost five years after the COVID pandemic that raged through the globe, claiming millions of lives, a new fear has now been triggered after the death of a 28-year-old laboratory technician due to a suspected pneumonic plague infection caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis in the Irkutsk region of Siberia, Russia.

The pneumonic plague infection had claimed millions of lives in Europe during the 14th century. The recent death in Russia brought the plague into focus as health experts started monitoring the situation in Russia.

Is There Plague Outbreak Threat To India?

On pneumonic plague fear caused by Yersinia pestis, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, Convenor of the IMA Research Cell, said there is no immediate threat to India, and people need not panic.

Yersinia pestis is a bacterium, and if it affects somebody's lungs, it can come out in the secretions when the person coughs or when the person sneezes or even when the person talks, he added.

"From India's standpoint, we are always on the vigil for any unusual infections. Those are the things that the healthcare system needs to watch out for, but from Russia's outbreak, there's no need to upgrade India's concern about such outbreaks," asserted Dr Jayadevan.

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What Is Yersinia Pestis Plague?

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, a zoonotic bacteria usually found in small mammals and their fleas. People infected with Y. pestis often develop symptoms after an incubation period of one to seven days. Bubonic plague is the most common clinical form of plague. Bubonic plague is characterised by painful swollen lymph nodes or 'buboes'. Less common, but severe forms include septicaemic and pneumonic plague.

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Plague is transmitted between animals and humans by the bite of infected fleas, direct contact with infected tissues, and inhalation of infected respiratory particles. It can be a very severe disease in people, with a case-fatality ratio of 30% to 60% for the bubonic type, and it is always fatal for the pneumonic and septicaemic kinds when left untreated.

Antibiotic treatment is effective against plague bacteria, so early diagnosis and treatment can save lives.

History Of The Plague

WHO, in its website, stated that historically, it was known as the "Black Death" during the fourteenth century, as it caused more than 50 million deaths in Europe. However, nowadays, plague is easily treated with antibiotics and the use of standard precautions to prevent acquiring infection.
(With ANI Inputs)