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

The bubonic plague, infamous for causing the Black Death that killed tens of millions in 14th-century Europe, remains a persistent threat in modern times. Despite being easily treatable with antibiotics, the rare bacterial infection continues to resurface in various parts of Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar, nearly every year. In the United States, an average of seven human cases are reported annually, predominantly in rural areas of the western regions.

A recent incident in Siberia has raised concerns, as a worker at a plague research institute contracted pneumonia, which could potentially be pneumonic plague - a more severe form that spreads through respiratory droplets. Russian authorities have dismissed initial media reports suggesting the worker's death was due to pneumonic plague, as testing revealed no evidence of the disease. The institute has since been quarantined.

Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading in the UK, emphasizes that the misconception of the plague being eradicated stems from the fact that humans have lived alongside this bacteria for thousands of years. Even ancient hunter-gatherers near Lake Baikal displayed signs of having contracted a form of the disease.

Transmission primarily occurs through infected fleas that feed on rodents like prairie dogs and rats, as well as through contact with infected bodily fluids or inhalation of respiratory droplets from pneumonic cases. Early treatment with antibiotics can cure the infection; however, if left untreated, the plague can be fatal. Despite the existence of a vaccine recommended mainly for high-risk groups, its effectiveness against pneumonic plague is uncertain.