The plague never went away: Cases are reported in parts of Africa and the US nearly every year

The plague, a once-feared bacterial infection responsible for killing millions in 14th-century Europe, continues to pose a threat today. Despite being easily treatable with antibiotics, cases are still reported in various parts of the world, including Africa and the United States, nearly every year. According to the World Health Organization, the majority of human cases have been recorded in Africa, particularly in Congo and Madagascar.

In the U.S., an average of seven cases are reported annually, primarily in rural areas of the American West. Recently, a worker at a plague research institute in Siberia died from pneumonia, raising concerns in Russia after unconfirmed reports suggested she may have succumbed to pneumonic plague. Russian authorities, however, claim that tests showed no evidence of plague, yet the research institute has been placed under quarantine.

Simon Clarke, a microbiologist from the University of Reading in the U.K., warns that people's perception of the plague as a historical issue is misguided. "People think the plague is gone, it was something that occurred 500 years ago. It’s not. It’s here amongst us," Clarke states. He emphasizes that unless we eliminate the wild animals that carry the bacterium, we cannot eradicate the plague entirely.