Plague Facts Plague Plague is a bacterial disease of rodents that can be spread to humans and other animals by infected fleas. Pneumonic plague can spread from person to person. Plague is treatable with antibiotics if detected early. Prevention consists of controlling rodent fleas, educating the public and the medical community in places where plague occurs, and using preventive medicines and vaccines as appropriate.
Plague is a disease of rodents that can be spread to humans and other animals by infected fleas.
Pneumonic plague is the most contagious form because it can spread from person to person in airborne droplets. Plague is caused by Yersinia pestis, a bacterium that is spread from rodent to rodent by infected fleas. The risk of infection to humans and other animals in the area increases when the rodent hosts die and infected fleas look for other sources of blood. Plague is found in some semi-arid areas in Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, South America, and North America. California, southern Oregon, and far western Nevada.