According to the CDC, there are approximately seven cases of plague reported in the US each year. These days, the plague is far less dangerous than it was in Medieval Europe and can easily be treated. The disease is generally no longer fatal, in part thanks to modern antibiotics, but also due to a tiny genetic modification in the human body.
Occasionally, however, a fatality still occurs. On Friday, July 11, health officials from the state of Arizona confirmed that a resident died of plague. It was the first death of its kind in the area since 2007. What’s more, there has been a sudden die-off of prairie dogs in the region, which may have been caused by plague, although officials deny these claims.
Is this recent plague death cause for concern for the general public? Click on to find out all about the “Black Death” in modern times and how human beings have adapted over the centuries.