Truth behind declare ‘Black Death’ has returned to UK as well being officers challenge warning
A human case of bubonic plague in the UK has been confirmed as a false alarm following a mix-up with official data, but British boffins are looking to develop a vaccine amid fears it could re-emerge
Bungling health chiefs falsely reported a human case of bubonic plague after a mix-up with lab data, it has emerged.
But scientists who helped develop the Covid vaccine are currently racing to develop a jab for the plague amid fears the infection could re-emerge and kill millions.
The false alarm came from a UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) lab report for the week ending March 13, which monitors disease cases across England and Wales. Officials from the UKHSA have since said the error came from a lab misallocation and they are now working to correct the data, the Sun reports.
But the bacteria that causes the horror bug, which previously wiped out half of Europe in the Black Death, is one of 24 infectious disease on a watch list that could cause the next pandemic.
Bubonic plague is a bacterial infection caused by Yersinia pestis, typically spread through flea bites or contact with infected animals.
Symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes – often referred to as “buboes.”
The last significant outbreak of bubonic plague in the UK occurred in Suffolk in 1918, though occasional cases have been suspected since.
And the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates between 1,000 and 2,000 cases occur globally each year. It continues to surface in various regions, particularly in parts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Last year, a case of bubonic plague was reported in Oregon in the US, most likely passed on from a sick pet cat.
Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in medicine at the University of East Anglia, told The Sun: “We do see occasional cases. Most are due to people coming into close contact with wild rodents while overseas.
“Usually, it’s because people don’t realise that even cute-looking wild animals should be kept at arm’s length. The disease is spread by fleas.”
The disease killed tens of millions of people in medieval Europe, though antibiotics makes the disease highly treatable these days.
However, without prompt antibiotic treatment, the infection can progress to septicemic or pneumonic plague, both of which are far more lethal. And untreated cases remain fatal in up to 90 per cent of patients within a week.
We reported on Tuesday that health chiefs have outlined four emerging viruses that could cause the next pandemic, with fears a novel measles-like virus would pose a threat far worse than Covid and could not be contained by even the strictest lockdown.
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