Coronavirus vs. Black Plague: What Do These Infectious Diseases Have in Common
August 31, 2020
California has its first case of plague in five years, health officials announced on August 17. In a press release, El Dorado County officials said that the California Department of Public Health told them of the positive test of a resident who is currently recovering at home under medical care. Health officials believe the South Lake Tahoe resident may have contracted plague after being bitten by an infected flea during a dog walk.
According to the El Dorado County release, the last reported human cases of plague in California were in 2015, when two people were exposed to infected rodents or fleas in Yosemite National Park. After treatment, they both recovered. These were the first reported human cases since 2006.
“Human cases of plague are extremely rare but can be very serious," El Dorado County Public Health Officer Dr. Nancy Williams said in the release, adding that plague is naturally present in many parts of California, including the higher elevation areas of El Dorado County.
RELATED: China Issues an Alert About Bubonic Plague—Here's What You Need to Know About This Deadly Disease
Of course, COVID-19 is the disease on everybody’s radar right now. But with the news of the California case and other cases of plague recently diagnosed in China and Mongolia, many people are wondering whether there are similarities between COVID-19 and the plague. Here’s how the symptoms, treatments, and outcomes of both serious infectious diseases compare.
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