Case of bubonic plague in UK turns out to be ‘false alarm’ – after mix up with official data
A HUMAN case of bubonic plague in the UK has been confirmed as a false alarm following a mix-up with official data.
The horror bug that previously wiped out half of Europe in the Black Death is already on Britain’s priority pathogens list.
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 reported case originated from a UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) lab report for the week ending March 13, which monitors disease cases across England and Wales.
However, UKHSA officials have since told The Sun the report was incorrect, attributing it to a lab misallocation.
They are now working to correct the data.
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.”
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.”
Without prompt antibiotic treatment, the infection can progress to septicemic or pneumonic plague, both of which are far more lethal.
Although antibiotics makes the disease highly treatable, untreated cases remain fatal in up to 90 per cent of patients within a week.
The last significant outbreak of bubonic plague in the UK occurred in Suffolk in 1918, though occasional cases have been suspected since.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates between 1,000 and 2,000 cases occur globally each year.
The plague has not been eradicated and continues to surface in various regions, particularly in parts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
In recent years, cases have been recorded in the US, Peru, China, Bolivia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Russia.
The Black Death, the most devastating pandemic in recorded history, was a mix of bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plague.
It tore through Africa, Asia, and Europe in the 14th century, killing an estimated 200 million people and wiping out 60 per cent of Europe’s population.