Specific Disease Frequently Asked Questions | Plague
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Is pneumonic plague
different from bubonic plague?
Yes. Both are caused by Yersinia pestis, but they are transmitted
differently and their symptoms differ. Pneumonic plague can
be transmitted from person to person; bubonic plague cannot.
Pneumonic plague is transmitted when a person breathes in Y.
pestis particles in the air. Bubonic plague is transmitted
through the bite of an infected flea or exposure to infected material
through a break in the skin. Pneumonic plague affects the lungs.
Bubonic plague causes buboes, which are swollen, tender lymph glands.
Does plague occur naturally?
Yes. An average of 5-15 cases occur each year in the western United States.
Most cases are of the bubonic form of the disease.
What are the signs and symptoms
of pneumonic plague?
Patients usually have fever, weakness, and rapidly developing pneumonia
with shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and sometimes bloody or watery
sputum. Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain may also occur. Without early
treatment, pneumonic plague usually leads to respiratory failure, shock,
and rapid death.
Can people exposed to pneumonic
plague avoid becoming sick?
Yes. People who have had close contact with an infected person can greatly
reduce the chance of becoming sick if they begin treatment within 7 days
of their exposure. Treatment consists of taking antibiotics for at least
7 days.
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Is a vaccine available to prevent
pneumonic plague?
Currently, no plague vaccine is available in the United States. Research
is in progress, but we are not likely to have vaccines for several years
or more.
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Source: Centers for Disease Control